


Brotherhood

by Funtimewriter



Category: Adam Levine (Musician), Blake Shelton (Musician), The Voice (US) RPF, The Voice RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Pining, Psychic Bond, Secret Society, Self-Sacrifice, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:29:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 46
Words: 216,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9811313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Funtimewriter/pseuds/Funtimewriter
Summary: A year ago, Blake's life was shattered, and the one person who meant the most to him disappeared without a word.  Now he's back with two mysterious friends he calls "brother" and everything has changed.  Can things between them ever be the same?





	1. Picking A Coach

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so here we go. This fic is going to be very confusing in parts, especially at the beginning. Hopefully, most of the questions will be answered as the story progresses, but I do make an effort to respond to comments, so feel free to ask questions, speculate, criticize or hate! I have also taken tremendous liberties with names and job titles. Most of them aren't intended to reference actual people.
> 
> Song here is "The Show Must Go On" by Queen  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKLMYZlbIb8

            Carson Daly had a headache, and he was fairly certain it was shared by everyone else in the room.  A group of fatigued men and women sat around a large table in the board room, representing the producers, directors, and executives responsible for putting “The Voice” on the air.  They’d known going in that this was going to be a difficult meeting.  So far, it had been exactly that.

            “We need to consider that the program may have just reached the end of its natural lifespan,” someone was saying.  “No program goes on forever!  While no one here wants to think about it, maybe we need to devote resources towards a new, future project?”

            “We are still contracted for this season!”  This came from the other side of the table.  “Worry about the future later.  We need answers now!”

            “What we need is a gimmick.”  That was a voice that made Carson grimace.  He’d never gotten along with the arrogant little prick.  “Something that will lure the public back to the show, get people talking about it again.”

            “Gimmick?” Carson asked.  “David, I thought that was why we decided to have two female coaches this season?”

            “It helped, but we already announced it, and it created barely a stir!  The public needs something more to bring them back.”

            “The bottom line is our bottom line!”

            Like everyone else, Carson suppressed a groan, but the executive wasn’t finished.  “Ladies and gentlemen, we are losing valuable sponsors because last season’s ratings were dismal, despite our having exemplary talent!”

            “If no one else will come out and say it, then I will.”  David again.  “Our problems last season can be traced directly back to one single coach.  If we want to save this show, then we may have to retire Blake Shelton.”

            “That’s absurd!” Carson exclaimed.  “Blake has the largest fan base and the most wins on this show!  He’s been with us since season one!”

            “Precisely!  It’s time for some new blood.  This program badly needs a breath of fresh air.”

            Carson stared at the woman who had just spoken.  “Really, Beverly?  Really?”  Suddenly furious, Carson pounded his fist on the table.  “This is bullshit!  I cannot believe I have to sit here and listen to it!  We’re actually trying to blame our ratings on Blake after what happened last year?”

            “What happened last year is precisely the reason we need to look at new coaches!” Beverly defended, looking flushed.  “This past season, the biggest speculation about ‘The Voice’ wasn’t the contestants or which coach would win.  It was about if Blake Shelton was even going to get through it at all!”

            “And you know damned well that he was drunk at the last live show,” David added.  His face twisted into a smug smirk that made Carson want to punch him.  “Drunk as a lord, live on national television!  It’s only the grace of God that saved us that night.  I know I was sweating, just waiting for him to lose it live on camera!  And you can’t tell me that you didn’t feel the exact same way, Carson.”

            “The last two live shows must have been pure hell for Blake!” Carson defended.  “I was feeling it myself, to tell you the truth.  Pharrell Williams was there last year, too, and barely spoke two words either night.”

            “I understand that, but the problems with Blake went back to before the final shows.  He did well with his team and they made a solid showing, but his banter with the other coaches was pathetic.  Christina and Justin sniping back and forth carried the show, with a solid effort from Pharrell.  But Blake?  The whole world knew his heart wasn’t in it.  Hell, he got the last three slots on his team during the blinds after everyone else’s team was full because he barely fought for contestants!”

            “His heart wasn’t in it?  Of _course_ his heart wasn’t in it!” Carson exploded.  “Who else at this table was there last year?  Were any of you part of that dog pile on top of Blake, holding him down on the floor while he fought and screamed?  Anyone else get to pick a six foot five broken, sobbing man up off of the floor and hear him say he wished he’d been shot?  No?  Because I did!  That was me there, doing all of that!  And why was I there?  Because the people here in this room, myself included, failed miserably at protecting our coaches!”

            The group at the table shifted uneasily.  “Carson…” Roger began.

            But Carson was on a roll.  “We _failed_ them!” he roared.  “We failed our coaches.  We were even _warned_ , and we still didn’t do nearly enough!  You want a gimmick, David?  Beverly, you want ratings, and to get people talking about ‘The Voice’ again?  Our ratings were through the roof last year, weren’t they?  The whole world was talking about our program!  Why?  Because we allowed a raging psychopath to brutalize and kidnap one of our coaches on live TV, that’s why!  You all watched it from the programming booth or from your couches at home.  But I got to stand there and let it happen, and then I got to dive on Blake and hold him down when he was the only one, _the only one w_ ho tried to stop it!  It was the most horrible moment of that man’s life, and it’s our fault!  We did that!  We let it happen!  And now you want to blame Blake?  Go fuck yourselves!”

            “ _Carson!”_

            “No!  If you want someone to blame, then look no further than the mirror.  Or, if you want, you can blame me!  But don’t you dare try to pin it on Blake.  Don’t you fucking _dare!”_

            Silence.  Up and down the table, the producers, directors, and executives of “The Voice” shifted uncomfortably, not looking up.  Carson sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his face.  He knew he may have just cost himself his career, but he didn’t care.  A year later, he could still vividly recall Blake’s screams, how the blood ran down his face, how he’d struggled when Carson and the stage hands held him down…  Carson shuddered.  The nightmares had improved, but they hadn’t gone away.  He’d learned that the number of people seeking professional therapy and dealing with symptoms of PTSD nationwide had jumped exponentially after the incident, but he’d never sought out therapy himself.  Carson had no doubt he’d have the nightmares again tonight, if he even managed to sleep at all.  Looked like another sleepover with Prince Valium.  But he would not, could not, let these people crucify Blake Shelton for a problem caused by their own negligence.  He’d walk first.

            At the end of the table, Jeanette, one of the network executives, cleared her throat.  “Carson, thank you for reminding us of that,” she began.  “It’s true.  We failed our coaches badly, and it destroyed one and shattered another.  Mr. Shelton deserves a lot of credit for coming back to the program after that, and so do you and Mr. Williams.  I can only imagine how difficult it was for all of you.  But we need to face the truth.  Unless we can find a way to boost ratings, this show is in its final season.  Therefore, we need to make some hard choices.”

            She looked down at her notes.  “Two female coaches is definitely a go.  And if we make a stipulation to the contracts of all of our coaches that they cannot use drugs or alcohol for forty-eight hours prior to or during a taping, I see no reason why Blake Shelton shouldn’t keep his chair.  Despite everything that’s happened, he’s still the fan favorite, and our biggest winner.  Agreed?”

            A chorus of assent went around the table, and Carson finally relaxed.  “Thank you, Jeanette,” he called.

            She accepted this with a nod.  “Now, we need to discuss who will have the final chair.  I’ve been reluctant to bring this up, but we polled our sponsors, and we will not be returning Justin Bieber.  That drug bust has put him in a bad light, and he won’t fit with a family-friendly program like ‘The Voice.’  That means we will be looking for another male coach.  But just before this meeting, I received a call from the agent of a former coach that’s interested in returning.  Now, this coach will have some controversy of his own, and we haven’t even begun to negotiate reimbursement.  But as we’ve been talking here, I thought of something.  This coach is very popular, but as I mentioned, he comes with his own share of controversy.  With Blake Shelton coming out as homosexual and publicly confessing his love for Adam Levine last year, do we already have enough controversy?”

            “That’s crap,” Carson called.  “Gwen Stefani supporting Blake did wonders, and no one is worried about the homosexual angle any longer.  Who are you thinking about for the fourth chair?  We can run it past the sponsors and see what they think.”

            She smiled.  “That’s the thing.  What if we didn’t announce the identity of our fourth coach?  That can help us in two ways.  First, it’s a great gimmick.  A mystery coach that won’t be announced until the blinds air!  Even the other coaches won’t know who is going to take that chair until it’s taken.”

            That got the table interested.  Calls of “I like that!” and “That could work!” rang out.  “What’s the second benefit?” someone asked.

            “Well, as I said, this is going to cause a bit of controversy, and the fine details still aren’t hammered out yet,” she said.  “But if something goes wrong and we end up cancelling, since no one knew who it was supposed to be anyway, we’ll lose nothing with a last-minute change!”

            The mood in the board room brightened considerably.  Carson felt some of his tension headache ease.

            “While I like the idea in theory, I’m hesitant,” another of the producers began.  “What kind of controversy are we talking about here?  While a little bit is good, too much hurts and spooks sponsors.  We’ve already lost nearly a quarter of our anticipated advertising budget over last season’s ratings disaster.  So I think we here in this room are on the need to know list.  Who is this coach?”

            She told them.

            Carson’s headache disappeared.  He leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief, and then joined in enthusiastically with the cheering and applause.

            “The Voice” might survive this season after all!

****

            Carson relaxed in the make-up chair, rolling his eyes in exasperation at the giant country imp that peered hopefully at him in the mirror from over his chair.  “Go away.”

            “One hint?” Blake pleaded.

            “How many times do I have to say no?”

            Blake pouted.  “Can’t you at least tell me if it’s a man or a woman?  I’m gonna lose my mind if I gotta deal with three women this season!”

            “Stop trying to pretend to be a misogynist, Shelton.  It doesn’t work on you,” Carson informed him.  He picked up a magazine and pretended to read.

            Blake snatched it away.  “Dammit, Carson!  I thought we were pals?”

            “I’m the pal that’s under the same non-disclosure contract you are!” Carson protested.

            “Aw, c’mon, I won’t say anything!  Neither will Theresa, will ya, darlin’?”

            The make-up artist swatted at Blake.  “Leave me out of this!  Now go sit in your chair so Yvonne can get started!”

            Blake sighed and moved towards his chair.  He paused and leaned down so his head was near the increasingly amused host’s mouth.  “It’s ok,” he whispered.  “You can whisper it in my ear.  Then, when you make the big announcement?  I’ll be all…”  He gasped at Carson in the mirror, an exaggerated expression of surprise pasted on his face.  “That’s the mystery coach?  I had _no idea!_ ”

            “Keep to your music career, Blake,” Carson groaned, pushing the larger man’s head away.  “You’ll never make it as an actor.”

            Blake grumbled and folded himself into the chair next to Carson.  Carson sighed in relief.  He would be glad when today was over.  The blind auditions had been thronged with people wanting to catch a glimpse of the mystery coach.  But Carson knew that the coach would be brought in through heavy curtains.  No one would catch a glimpse until Carson made the announcement.  Everyone on set and all the audience had signed binding non-disclosure agreements.  That, of course, included Blake.  Until the show aired, the lid would be tightly nailed in place.  Of course, that meant the constant prying of Carson’s friends and neighbors would go on, but at least after tonight, he wouldn’t have to bear it alone.  Misery loved company.

            Carson smiled fondly at Blake as Yvonne went to work on the country star’s face.  “How have you been, big guy?”

            “Just going on with my life,” Blake reported.  He was still smiling, but his blue eyes seemed sad.  “Most people never did get that I’ve never felt a thing for any man except Adam, so for a while I had to deal with some homophobia.  Even lost some friends over it.  But I don’t generally get shit about my sexuality anymore, and Gwen and I are still good friends despite how it ended between us.”

            Carson nodded, glad Blake was finally willing to talk about this.  “She’s a good person.  You’re both good people.”

            “She deserves someone who really loves her, and I hope she finds someone soon,” Blake declared.  “I felt terrible, but she actually said afterwards that she’d suspected all along.  You know, about Adam and me?”

            “I think most of us did, Blake,” Carson confessed.  “That whole bromance thing didn’t fool many people.  I know I wasn’t really surprised.  I just wondered what took you so long to come out with it?”

            “What took me so long was my own damned stupidity!” Blake replied.  His smile had disappeared.  “My stubborn refusal to understand that the heart wants what the heart wants, no matter what anyone else says.  I know, now, that I’ve been in love with Adam pretty much since season one.  But I couldn’t admit it, not to the world, not to him, certainly not to myself.  And then, when I finally told him, well, a lot of shit had gone down between the two of us even before the attack.  I’m not sure we were even friends by then.  He sure as hell wasn’t ready to hear me tell him that I loved him on live television!”

            Carson frowned.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that.  I guess I thought your feelings had been reciprocated, Blake, or I wouldn’t have brought it up.  I wasn’t aware you two had quarreled.”

            “No one is, not really," Blake replied, brushing off Carson's concern.  "A year later, people still walk on eggshells around me.  They ask how Adam is, I say 'fine' and change the subject, so I guess I just got myself to blame.  And quarreled?  That’s putting it nicely, buddy.  A couple of days before the attack, we went on a road trip out in Oklahoma and had one hell of a fight.  When we walked away from each other, I wasn’t sure if either of us ever even wanted to see the other again.”

            The host’s frown deepened.  “I’m so sorry, Blake.  I had no idea!”

            Blake shrugged.  “Everyone just kind of assumes we’re together, but I don’t even have a clue where he is, Carson.  I haven’t seen him since the last show.”

            “You haven’t?”  Carson blinked in astonishment.  “You mean you haven’t heard anything at all from him recently?”

            “No,” Blake said simply.  “Every so often, I get a post card, or he’ll link me an Instagram picture, but never any words.  Beautiful stuff, landscapes and buildings and nature, that sort of thing.  Never a picture with himself in it, though, or anyone else he might be with.  Just landscapes.  He even sent me an image of the Earth from the moon once.  No idea what that was supposed to mean!”  He smiled.  “Seems like he’s been all over the world, just traveling from place to place, keeping his head down.  But he never calls or texts, never answers when I call or try to contact him.  Last picture I got from him was from somewhere in Scotland, I think, because there was a Scottish flag, blue with the big white X?  But that was over a month ago.  Nothing at all from him since then.  It’s like he dropped off the face of the Earth.”

            “Oh.”  Carson didn’t know what to say.

            Blake shrugged.  “I practically proposed to the guy right on national television, Carson, after he’d been through a hell that would have broken anyone else!  I never should have put him in a situation like that, not right after seven days of…”  He swallowed hard.  “I guess I was just used to saying it by then.  I said it over and over at all those interviews and press conferences, and the whole world knew, but Adam couldn’t have known, could he?  Not where he was.  That ‘Breaker’ fucker that took him away didn’t exactly give him access to TV and newspapers or internet, did he?  So I imagine that was one hell of a shock, me just blurting it out to him after everything else he’d been through.  And we never got to talk about it after.  He pretty much went out the door and off the radar, sold his house and everything else and just started traveling.  I actually wondered if he was just running away from me?  I wouldn’t blame him if he was.”  Blake gave a sad smile.  “I still love him, Carson.  Not gonna lie.  And I miss him every damned day.  But I guess he needs his space.”

            Carson’s heart ached.  “You’ll see him again,” he assured.

            Blake gave him a look.  Then he nodded gratefully, annoying the make-up artist.  “Hope so, Carson.  I really do.”

****

            Showtime.  Blake waited backstage, listening to the excited crowd and Miley Cyrus’s non-stop chatting.  She was a bundle of nervous energy, speculating about the mystery coach.  “I bet it’s Usher,” she said, her third such guess.  “He’d be cool to work with!  I mean, I was a guest coach, but really, Alicia and I are both new.  Surely the fourth coach wouldn’t be another new person?”

            Alicia shrugged, amused at her antics.  “I suppose so.  I doubt it’s Justin Bieber, but it could be Usher.  Or CeeLo!  I’d enjoy working with him.”

            Miley moved closer to elbow Blake.  “You’re being too quiet.  Don’t you wonder who it is?”

            “Sure!” Blake said.  “I threatened to waterboard Carson earlier, but he got all indignant about my contract prohibiting acts of torture on the host.  Funny, I don’t remember seeing that?”

            Both women laughed.  “It’s in the fine print, Blake,” Miley assured.  “You should have put on your bifocals, old timer!”

            Blake laughed with her.  Inwardly, he was trying to control the pounding of his heart.  But again came the thought.  _What if it’s Adam?_

            The idea that Adam could be the mystery coach had popped up unbidden in his mind the moment he’d learned that the fourth coach would be a mystery until the blinds.  At first, Blake had dismissed the idea as ludicrous.  But as time went on with no contact, not a word from the man he’d last seen on the very stage he’d soon walk out on, that fragile, faint hope had blossomed.  Even though he knew the chances were slim, Blake had dreamed every night this week of Adam coming to take back his big red chair.  Of that smile aimed at him.  He couldn’t forget that face, how the corners of his hazel eyes would crinkle as he laughed, how animated it became when they sparred.  How Adam felt, how he smelled, when Blake would pull the rock star into his arms for a hug or hold him on his lap and kiss him.  Could they go back to how they were, before the road trip when everything had fallen apart?  Could they be friends again, if not more?

            _Adam lying in a field of flowers, turned on his side to face Blake in that moment that everything had changed between them.  The way his eyes had looked, staring through Blake, seeing into his heart and soul and finding the truth that Blake couldn’t even admit to himself.  The pain and sadness that had filled those eyes.  “I won’t wait forever, Blake.  I can’t.  You need to make a decision.”_

            Oh, Blake had made a decision.  But by then, Adam was helpless over the shoulder of a madman, and it was too late.

            _It won’t be Adam,_ he told himself firmly.  _Knock this shit off, Blake!  Just because Carson mentioned Adam doesn’t mean he’s the mystery coach!  Whoever comes out to take that chair, you can’t let it affect you like last season.  Carson told you how close you came to being fired.  They even added a drug and alcohol clause to the contract, for God’s sake, because you came that close to fucking up everything!  So cowboy up, Shelton.  Get a grip, and get your head in the game!_

            The music started as the lights dimmed.  Last night, he’d joined Miley and Alicia in an outdoor performance to promote the show.  He’d managed the falsetto at the end quite well and was proud of his performance.  But even the energy of that crowd paled in comparison to what crackled through the studio now.  The audience was on its feet, screaming and clapping as Miley was announced, and then Alicia.  Blake came third, to the biggest cheers so far.  Nice to know the fans still wanted him around, even if the executives and producers didn’t.

            But now the excitement was at its peak.  The lights dimmed dramatically and the music dropped to a low bass with a counterpoint keyboard melody.

            “And now the moment we’ve been waiting for!”  Carson, dramatic as ever, commanded the stage, drawing every eye.  “Our mystery coach is no stranger to ‘The Voice.’  He’s a favorite to our fans, a household name, and returning to our stage after being much missed by us all.  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back our mystery coach, _Adam Levine!_ ”

            The roar of the crowd was enough to drown out the band as spotlights illuminated the still, pale figure who had just stepped through the doorway.  Blake forgot to breathe.  It was him, it was Adam, Adam at last, here once again and oh, Blake was so glad to see him!  Of course.  The non-disclosure contract.  That’s why Adam couldn’t talk to Blake!  He couldn’t give himself away.  But it didn’t matter.  Adam, his Adam, was here.  Blake was already on his feet, long legs rapidly closing the distance as he all but ran to Adam, arms already open to embrace him, hold him close…

            Adam doubled over, hands clutching at his head, and gave a low, sharp cry as if in pain.  The crowd grew silent with alarm.  Blake froze as Carson waved the music to a stop.  Adam, still clutching his head, moaned and stumbled backwards.  Blake made another step forward, wanting to catch his fall.  But someone else was there.  A sandy-haired man quickly caught Adam, put an arm protectively around him, and glowered at Carson on the stage.  “Are you kidding me?” he yelled.  “Are you fucking _kidding_ me?”

            In the stunned silence that followed, a second man stepped through the door, this one with dark hair and grey eyes that looked angrily at Carson.  “Mr. Daly?” he called, his voice a deep baritone with a cut glass English accent.  “Do we have you to thank for this outrage?”


	2. Changing The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam's demands make for an unusual coaching situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I have completely diverged from reality at this point in the story. The artists here are of my own creation.

            Disaster.  Carson’s stomach heaved as he signaled to cut the cameras and ran to Adam.  The man was obviously having a panic attack.  He was sitting against the doorway, assisted by his two friends, and the sound of his gasping for air was easily picked up by his microphone to fill the stadium as the audience continued to mutely stare.  The chestnut haired Englishman was kneeling in front of Adam, one hand on his shoulder, the other cupping the back of his head, speaking softly into Adam’s ear as Adam clung to him, shaking.  He appeared very young, probably only early twenties, and attractive in an androgynous way.  His accent, his high end clothing, and the way that he carried himself spoke of someone with upper class connections.  Adam’s new personal assistant, or some kind of legal liaison?

            The sandy haired man had moved to stand defensively in front of them.  He glared dangerously over crossed arms, his blue eyes furious as Carson approached.  Something told Carson that this person could be capable of violence.  Adam’s bodyguard, then.  This man was solidly built, although shorter than Carson, and appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties.  His chiseled face was handsome and deeply tanned, the face of someone who spent a lot of time outside.  But the look he was giving Carson now made the host swallow hard as he approached.

            Carson saw Blake standing uncertainly in front of the chairs and held up his hand, cautioning him to stay put.  Blake nodded and stayed where he was as Carson approached the trio.  “Does he need an ambulance?” Carson offered, looking at Adam.

            “He’ll be fine,” the strange man standing in front snapped.  His accent was east coast USA, maybe New York.  “Right now, worry about explaining yourself!  Who’s idea was it to bring my brother back here and have him coach?  And when, exactly, did you plan to even tell him about it?  Because bringing him out here blind and springing this on him was a damned shitty thing to do!”

            Carson sputtered.  “He didn’t know?  But…”

            The man jerked his head back at Adam.  “Does it look like he knew?”

            “I don’t understand!” Carson exclaimed.  “I was told his agent contacted us, said he wanted to come back.  We have his signature on a contract!”

            “I guarantee that you don’t,” the man growled, “because there is no way he would have agreed to this.”  He gave a bitter snort.  “Honestly?  Come back here, to this stage, to the _same fucking chair_ that he got dragged out of just last year?  How could you even consider asking that of him?”

            “I’m telling you, his agent contacted us!  As far as I knew, coming back here was his idea!”

            “He’s telling the truth, brother,” the Englishman called.

            “I can see that, brother,” the other man sighed.  He looked again at Carson.  “You say you have a signed contract?”

            “Yes,” Carson replied.  “I saw it myself.  It looked like Adam’s signature, but if it’s not…?”

            But the man held up his hand.  “We were brought here, told it was a mission,” he explained.  He seemed much calmer now.  “Our brother was point, we were back-up.  Unusual, but not so strange that we thought much of it.  The fact that we only had part of a ticket was odd, too.  But right from the start, he recognized the building.  They gave him the microphone, told him to come out the door when they cued him.  But it wasn’t until you made that announcement that we finally understood.”

            “I suspected,” Adam called, getting to his feet.  He was still pale, but seemed calmer as his dark haired friend helped him up.  “But honestly, I didn’t quite believe it was real.  I mean, it felt like I was dreaming, like I was in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from!”

            “Nightmare?”  Carson’s voice was weak.  “Wait, mission, what do you mean mission?”

            “This contract,” the Englishman said.  “May I see it?  Our answers can likely be found there.”

            Fortunately, one of the behind the scenes producers was already having it run down.  “It’s pretty standard, not much different than the others he’s signed in the past,” Carson explained as he handed it over.  “The only thing different about it was this torn off bit of silver foil on the back.  We couldn’t get it off…  But I guess you can,” Carson finished, seeing the foil piece come off easily when the Englishman gently brushed the pads of his fingers over it.

            The foil piece was about two inches square.  The Englishman handed the contract back to Carson, who took it, surprised.  “You said you wanted to see it, but you didn’t even look at it!”

            “This is the true contract,” was the only explanation the dark haired man gave.  He reached into his pocket and produced a second, smaller piece of foil.  This one was two inches by one inch, and, like the first piece, had one jagged edge where it had been torn.  He fumbled a moment with the two pieces.  Then he opened a single, three inch by two inch piece of perfectly unmarked silver foil.  There was no seam to indicate where the two pieces had joined.  Carson blinked in surprise.

            By now, the audience had begun to mutter and whisper.  Blake slowly started forward again, stopping just behind Carson.  His eyes were locked on Adam, but his fellow coach had eyes only for the odd piece of foil.  The foil appeared to have nothing at all on it, but all three appeared fixated on it.  Adam’s hand was on the Englishman’s right shoulder, while the other man’s hand held his left.  And all three blanched when the Englishman slowly ran his fingers from right to left over the foil.

            “No,” Adam moaned, stepping back.  “I can’t!”

            “This is bullshit, One!” the sandy haired man complained.

            “I am aware, Five!” the Englishman shot back, angrily crumpling the foil.  “But you saw the same orders as I!”  He turned to Adam, who was facing the wall, leaning on it and struggling not to go into another panic attack.  “Seven?” he called, gently touching Adam’s back.  “I’m sorry, brother, but our orders…”

            “To hell with our orders!” Adam roared, whirling on him.  “I can’t do this, One!  I…”  He froze, noticing Blake for the first time.

            The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment as distressed hazel eyes met with concerned blue.  Blake opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t know what.  But then Carson was in Blake’s face.  “Blake?  Go sit down for now, ok?” he said softly.  “I don’t think that now is the time.”

            Blake looked blankly at Carson, and then back at Adam.  But Adam had turned away and was leaning on the wall again.  Blake nodded numbly and went back to his chair, barely hearing the grumbles of disapproval and the occasional boo from the audience.  Miley and Alicia were both frowning.  It seemed no one else wanted Blake to walk away from Adam any more than he did.

            Meanwhile, the Englishman, One, apparently, was at Adam’s side, his arm around the shoulders of the anxious coach, speaking softly again.  But Adam was having none of it.  Throwing the arm aside, Adam pointed to his chair.  “I cannot sit there again!” he yelled at One.  “You honestly think I can just sit there, right in the open, with my fucking _back_ turned where anyone can just come in and grab me?  I can’t do it, One!  Brothers, please don’t ask this of me, I can’t!”

            “Calm down, Seven,” Five called.  He’d moved to Adam’s chair and for some reason had removed the cup, notebook, and pen that waited there.  He handed the cup to a confused Miley, who took it.  He returned to his “brothers” and handed the notebook and pen to One.  And then, without a word, he wrapped an arm around the waist of each of them, effortlessly picked them both up, and casually carried them back to the chair as if they weighed nothing at all.  Five was apparently very strong.

            To Blake’s surprise, Adam didn’t protest at all, not even when Five sat down and all three were crowded into the chair that had bothered Adam so much a moment ago.  “No one will hurt you,” Five announced softly.  “Not while I’m here.  Now, is this better?”

            Adam looked around.  Then he shifted a bit, put his hand on Five’s, gave a small smile and nodded.

            The crowd cheered and applauded.  Blake bit back his jealousy and joined in.  Five had helped Adam, after all.  No point in being jealous of Adam being on his lap instead of Blake’s, pressed so closely against the two strangers.

            “I,” Carson declared, “have no idea what is going on.”

            “What’s going on is this,” Adam announced.  “A year ago, I told you and the other producers that I was in danger and asked for protection.  I was hoping for the police, or at least some extra security.  But instead, all you did was alert security to be on their guard and went on with the show.  And we all know what happened then!  I went through seven days of hell before I was rescued, I will always bear the scars, and I’ve never been the same!  Now I’m being asked to sit here in this same damned chair and face all of my worst nightmares again?  I think you owe me something for that!” 

            The crowd cheered, making Adam pause.  “So here’s the deal,” he continued once the noise died down.  “You want me to stay and coach?  Fine, but I have two conditions.  First, my brothers stay with me, and we’re a coaching team.  I refuse to do this alone!  I do it with them, or you find someone else!  And don’t worry, our team won’t suffer from it.  Quite the opposite!  We’ve all got music background.  I’m rock, Five is jazz, and One is classical.  We have a lot to offer our team.”

            “Now as to my second condition?”  Adam leaned forward, his face serious.  “Do not, _do not,_ call me Adam Levine!  I’ve got another name now, but for the time being, it’s Seven.”  He leaned back, glowering at Carson, and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest.  “Now, do we have an agreement, or do the three of us find a quiet spot somewhere to watch you try to scramble up another coach?”

            No one knew what to make of the odd requests, and Carson least of all.  He shook his head.  “Let me talk with some people.  Meanwhile, someone get microphones on the other two, please?”  Flustered, the host jogged offstage.

            No one said anything while Five and One managed to attach the mics to their shirts with some difficulty in the crowded chair.  Then Miley spoke up.  “So, One, Five, and Seven?” she asked.  “You guys wouldn’t happen to know anyone called Snow White by chance, would you?”

            Five laughed, and One cocked an eyebrow at her.  “Spring rang,” he announced, eyeing her outfit.  “It wants its flowers back.”

            And just like that, the ice was broken, and the tension dissolved.

****

            Apparently, Adam’s odd requests were accepted by the powers that be.  Blake wasn’t really surprised.  After all, day of the blinds aside, Adam had just announced their shocking negligence in front of a studio full of people.  The fact that Adam had known he was in danger and had asked for protection before the attack wasn’t something that was widely known.  Adam had plenty of cause to file a lawsuit, maybe even criminal charges if a lawyer could arrange it.  So it was little wonder that they’d quickly caved to his demands.  Adam seemed upset that his name was everywhere (“Even the fucking _floor_ says ‘Adam’!”), but otherwise, he was calm with his new friends.

            Watching the three at work was interesting.  When their chair turned around, all three would tilt their heads towards each other to listen, concentrating on the singer.  Only One pushed the button, and never at any signal from the other two that Blake could see.  Yet all three seemed to agree with One’s choices.  Adam’s contribution tended to be limited to smiles and nods when he agreed with whatever was being said, or eye rolls and groans when he did not.  It was the other two who did most of the work.  Five was the most vocal about arguing over artists.  One had a lot to offer to the artists, describing their voices in some detail of what they did well and how they could improve, showing that he clearly had background in vocal training.  The artists had all been briefed about the unusual coaching arrangement.  Most didn’t seem to know quite what to make of it, especially when the most famous of the odd trio spoke not a word.  But the other two were quick to throw Adam’s history and connections in the music industry out while sparring with the other coaches, and Adam didn’t appear to mind.

            Then a young jazz singer took the stage.  After his performance, Five chatted away with him about jazz music, and to Blake’s surprise, the young man recognized the mysterious new coach.  “You’re Matt Mellon, aren’t you?” the artist asked.  “I was there when you won that recording contract at the Twister!”

            Five’s smile dimmed somewhat.  “I don’t go by that name anymore, but yes,” he confirmed.  “And I note you sang the song I won with!  Great choice!”

            The man smiled shyly.  “I’d be honored if you’d sing it with me?”

            Five blinked in surprise, and looked between the other two, who got up and gestured towards the stage.  Five happily bounded up and sang harmony with the artist, his tenor flawless and pitch perfect.  Blake stood up to applaud when it was finished, even as Alicia said that she wanted Five on her team and Miley complained loudly that no one else had any chance to get the artist now.

            Another high point came later during the blinds when the Five and Blake got into an animated argument over an artist who ended up picking Miley.  Blake immediately blamed Five, and was astonished to hear his own accent perfectly mimicked back at him.  “I’m Blake Shelton!” Five declared.  “I won four times on this show!  It’s only once more than Seven, but hey, I’ll bring it up every chance I get, because it’s one trophy for every family that lived in my home town of Dueling Banjos, Oklahoma!”

            “Hey, I’ve won nearly half of the seasons!” Blake defended, laughing.  “And at least I have a name instead of a number, secret agent man!”

            “Oh, ya went there!” Five shot back, still in perfect imitation of Blake’s accent.  “We’re gonna do one helluva victory dance when we get this next artist!  And it won’t be no damned line dance either, Shelton!  One here will do the moonwalk!”

            One cocked an eyebrow.  “I will?”

            “You will!  What do you say, Cowboy?”

            Blake laughed again.  “I say you’re on!”

            “Do I get a say in this?” One wondered.

            “No!” Blake and Five yelled in unison.  Everyone laughed, but One only sighed.

            The Englishman was decidedly less enthusiastic about winning the next artist, but when the artist sang one of Adam’s songs and admitted to being a fan, there was little wooing to be done.  Once he’d officially picked their team, One got up with another sigh.  He borrowed a hat from someone in the audience and, when the band began the bridge of “Smooth Criminal,” he began to dance.

            Blake was quick to learn that One was a very good dancer.  He did a flawless moonwalk, was on his toes, did a spin, and even performed a difficult twisting split that made Blake wince even as the audience went wild.  Then One moonwalked back, tossed the hat neatly back to its owner, and gracefully popped back up into the lap of a gloating Five, ducking his head and smiling shyly at the accolades.

            “Eat it, Cowboy!” Five whooped, still mimicking Blake’s accent.

            Blake stood up to applaud the performance with everyone else.  When the cheering finally died down, he sat and shook his head.  “Ok,” he confessed, “that was surprisingly good.”

            “Blake, you’re an idiot!” Adam exclaimed.  “You should have known something was up when Five made that bet.  One was in the Royal Ballet School since he was eight years old and was at the top of his class!  He danced with the Birmingham Royal Ballet!  Of course he’s good!”

            Blake had to work hard not to shout for joy.  Adam was sparring with him!  “It’s too bad that this isn’t ‘The Dance,’ then, isn’t it?” he managed.  “It’s a singing competition, one that, once again, I have won four times!”

            “Which is, again, only once more than I did!” Adam retorted.  “Besides, One had a better voice than anyone else here.”

            “Oh, really?” Blake drawled.  “And who did he sing for, the Queen?”

            “Yes!” Adam shot back.  “And the Pope!  Because the Pope asked him to perform, Blake.  Twice!”

            “He actually only asked for me the once.  The second time, he requested a duet,” One corrected.

            “Twice, Blake!” Adam yelled.  “Twice!  Sit over there and compare your trophies to that, Shelton!”

            “You know, I haven’t thought about it, but you really are ridiculous, One,” Five grumbled over the laughter and cheers.  “Twenty two years old, and you’ve sung for the Pope twice, danced with the Royal Ballet…  Is there anything you’ve set out to do that you’ve failed at?”

            “I’ve yet to get you two tossers to sod off?”

            “Ha!” Adam grinned.  “In your face, One!”

            One shrugged.  “The night is young.”

            “So, are we going to get to hear this amazing voice, One?” Alicia asked.

            “Only if you’ve recently become Pope,” One replied.

            “Now come on!” Miley exclaimed.  “I want to hear you sing!”  She stood up, addressing the audience.  “Don’t you want to hear him?”

            Naturally the crowd cheered its assent.  But when Miley turned smugly back to the trio, all three had become suddenly quiet and subdued.  “I’m sorry, Miss Cyrus,” One said quietly.  “But I am afraid my singing days are over.  Now, shall we hear the next artist?”

****

            Blake couldn’t wait for a chance to speak privately with Adam.  But every break, Adam wandered off into a secluded area with his friends or the three of them grouped in with the other coaches.  He was pleasant and smiling, but not offering more than one word answers.

            “Where have you been?”

            “Traveling.”

            “Where to?”

            “Around.”

            Finally, Blake resorted to bullying.  “What are you, in the military now or something, that you’ve got orders?”

            Shrug.  “Kinda.”

            “Which military?”

            Shrug.

            “Seriously, which military?  Unless One’s a naturalized American citizen?”

            “I am not,” One offered.

            “That means you’ve got at least two countries represented here,” Blake pointed out.  “So, which military?”

            “We’re part of an international group, actually,” One explained, looking a bit uncomfortable.

            “What are you called?” Blake pressed, looking at Adam.  “When did you join, and why?”

            “Curious much?” Five grumbled.

            “Considering I have not heard so much as a peep from you in nearly a year, yes,” Blake said, still directing his remarks to Adam.  “I didn’t even know if you were dead or alive!  Where have you been?”

            “Steady on, mate.  We didn’t exactly have internet access from LB1,” One said crossly.

            Blake’s eyes bore into Adam.  “Why do they keep answering for you?”

            “Calm down, buddy,” Five warned, stepping between Blake and Adam.  By now, Adam had his arms folded defensively across his chest, and seemed to be hunching into his motorcycle jacket as if he wanted to disappear into it.

            Blake frowned at Five, and then looked past him at Adam.  “I want some damned answers!” he insisted.  “Would you please just come and talk with me for five minutes?”

            “Not tonight,” Adam mumbled.

            Blake moved as if to step forward, but Five stood like a rock in his path.  “Look, I get you’re upset,” Five said calmly, looking up at the much taller man.  “We have heard all about you, Blake, alright?  We know you’re a great guy, and I know One and I are looking forward to getting to know you.  But think about what our brother has been through, what happened to him here, and have a little patience!”

            “It’s clear you need to sit and have a long chat, but not now,” One stressed, moving to join Five.  “Give Seven some space.  When he’s ready, he’ll come to you.”

            “Please, Blake?” Adam begged.  “I just need some time!  Let me process all this first.  Then I promise we’ll talk.”

            Miley and Alicia were staring at Blake now.  Part of Blake wanted to grab Adam by the arm, drag him aside, and force answers from him.  But Adam wouldn’t even look at him now.  Blake reluctantly backed off, and saw the two strangers relax a bit.  Five gave him a grateful smile.

            Blake rubbed at the back of his neck.  “So, you won a jazz contest, Five?”

            The tension dissipated.  The six coaches chatted away, talking about Five’s success in jazz and his record deal.  For some reason, he’d never completed the deal.  But before anyone could ask him why, he smoothly shifted the focus of the conversation back to One and his ballet history.  Blake had never had any interest in ballet, but the way One talked about it made the art sound fascinating.  He even demonstrated a few moves, including an amazing spinning leap that almost made him appear to be flying.  The ladies were very impressed.  In fact, judging by the way Miley was making moon eyes at the handsome young Englishman, Blake suspected she was developing a crush.

            Adam, meanwhile, had ventured closer and was laughing and contributing to the conversation.  At least Blake hadn’t driven him back into silent mode with his pushing.  But even as the conversation went on, Blake was acutely aware of Adam and what he was doing.  Until a year ago, no one had known Adam Levine better than Blake Shelton, and what Blake was seeing now convinced him more and more that something was very wrong.  Even as Adam smiled and clearly was enjoying the social interaction, something was missing.  Adam showed none of the boundless energy that Blake always associated with him.  He had yet to take off his jacket, wearing it almost like a suit of armor that he seemed to shrink inside of when he was uncomfortable.  But most of all, that full force of personality that was uniquely Adam just wasn’t there.  It was like seeing a stranger inside of the body of the man Blake loved.

            As the night progressed, Adam gradually emerged more and more from his shell, sparring with the other coaches and his friends, winning more artists for his team.  Things were going well until a young female artist shyly requested he join her to sing “Sugar.”  The crowd and the coaches egged Adam on with vigorous cheering, but Adam didn’t move.  In fact, all three men in the fourth chair had frozen.  They simply sat, silent and still, pale faced and stricken as the cheers turned to confused mutters of concern.  The artist on the stage was naturally baffled, looking around for an explanation that didn’t come as the silence went on.

            Finally, Adam sighed.  “I can’t,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.  “Last year, Breaker…  There was damage, and it might get better in time, but…”  He shook his head.  “It’s gone.  The falsetto, my upper register, it’s all gone.  I’m sorry.  I can’t.”

            The confusion on the girl’s face gave way to shock.  And then she burst into tears.

            Adam was up in a flash, hugging the girl.  “It’s ok.  You didn’t know, how could you have known?  You’re alright.  Shh, you’re alright now.”

            She calmed so suddenly that it was as if someone had thrown a switch.  Smiling, she drew back, her mouth open to say something to Adam.  But then she froze, blinking in surprise.  Adam flushed, quickly ducked his head and jogged back to the chair, her eyes still on him and uncertainty painting her features.  When she was asked who she wanted to pick as a coach, to everyone’s surprise, she picked Blake.

            Blake welcomed her to his team and walked backstage with her.  He waited until they were alone, and then pulled her aside.  “What happened?” he asked softly, covering his microphone.  “Why’d you give him that weird look?”

            She hesitated.  “I felt awful, you know, after what he said?  But when he hugged me, I don’t know, I was alright again.  But then I think I caught him by surprise when I stepped back.  I saw his eyes, and…  Blake, do you remember last year, what happened with his eyes?”

            “Yeah?”

            “It was happening again.  For a moment, when I first looked at him, his eyes were glowing green!”


	3. Unpleasant Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake revisits the night one year ago when Adam was taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nasty stuff ahead, mind the tags!

            Blake flipped the DVD over and over between his fingers, his eyes on the bottle resting on the table.  He didn’t want to drink.  He was all too aware that if he took a drink tonight, he’d finish the bottle.  But he’d still put the bottle out anyway.  He might need it to get through what was on the disc.  He didn’t remember who it was that had burned the disc and given it to him, but he’d been told it was everything, including the night Adam was taken, the press conferences Blake had done, and the night Adam had finally returned, just before he’d disappeared again.  He’d had it for a year and hadn’t been able to watch it.  But tonight, he was determined to do so.

            With a deep breath, Blake put the disc into the player and started it playing.

            There was Adam on the screen.  From the moment he was introduced that night, on the next to last live show from last year, Blake could see something was wrong.  His friend’s smile never touched his eyes, and his eyes constantly shifted around, wary and watching.  The entire night, Adam was subdued, pale faced and jumpy.  At the time, Blake had noticed, but had attributed Adam’s anxiety to the stress of working with Blake after their disastrous road trip.

            If only that had been the case.

            Blake’s heart pounded in his chest as he waited, speeding through the performances of the night, only stopping when Adam’s face appeared.  Now he was near the end of the night, when the fun stopped and the horror began.

            _“A year ago, I told you and the other producers that I was in danger and asked for protection.  I was hoping for the police, or at least some extra security.  But instead, all you did was alert security to be on their guard and went on with the show.  And we all know what happened then!”_

            Adam’s words rang through Blake’s mind.  He’d known, Adam had _known_ what could happen, had even known the name of the man who'd attacked him.  How he’d managed to stay through the show was a mystery.  Even now, knowing what was coming and safely on his couch in his LA home, Blake still jumped when the sound of gunshots rang out, just as he’d done that terrible night.  And now, watching the recording, he saw how the cameras had frozen on a view of all four coaches.  He watched himself looking at Adam with alarm, saw the naked fear on Adam’s face as shouts and screams flooded the microphones.  And now came something he’d forgotten.  Adam’s mouth moved as he stared at Blake, forming words without sound.  _“Run, Blake!  Run!”_

            Why had he done that?  Why had Adam told him to run, rather than running himself when he had been in so much danger?  Blake found himself clutching his fists, silently begging the Adam on the screen to run, to somehow get away.  But Adam had only leaned back in his chair, frightened and small, his terrified eyes watching as the figure came closer.

            Closer.

            Came right up to Adam and leaned over his chair as the rocker cringed away.  Adam’s microphone picked up the man’s words.  “And what do you think you’re doing here?”

            “Coaching a vocal team?” Adam had replied.

            The man barked laughter.  He was big, all muscles, with dark hair and a cruel set of dark eyes that would soon grace every television and police station in the nation.  He carried a small canvas bag over his shoulder, but no weapon.  By now his team had flooded onto the stage, half a dozen men carrying automatic weapons, brandishing them at the audience, the stage, ordering Carson, the artist on the stage, the band, the camera crew and the stagehands all over into the small area near Blake.  Pharrell was sunk into his chair, frozen in terror, and Gwen was screaming Blake’s name.  The Blake on the screen was ashen, his eyes fixed on Adam and still not comprehending…

            Blake wanted to punch that big country idiot on the screen.  Even then, with Adam in obvious danger right in front of him, he hadn’t been able to admit the truth.

            But then it got worse.

            The man stopped laughing.  He moved quickly, fisting up one meaty hand and punching Adam hard in the gut.  Adam grunted in pain and doubled over, but the man wasn’t done.  He grabbed Adam by the collar of his shirt, yanked him out of his chair, and shoved him backwards, slamming him against the side of the chair.  “Show me!”

            Adam yelped, still clutching his stomach.  “Show you what?”

            “Show me what’s inside of you!”

            “What?”

            “Don’t play games!”  The man was as tall as Blake, looming over Adam, but bigger, much more muscular.  Adam looked so small, doubled over, cradling his stomach as he leaned against the chair.  But then the man’s big hands closed around Adam’s throat.  He stepped back and lifted the struggling rock star high into the air, hands clenching tight, cutting off Adam’s air as the smaller man frantically kicked and clawed at him.  “C’mon, show me!” the man was yelling, Adam’s microphone picking up the words and broadcasting them over the terrified screams in the studio.  “ _Show me!_ ”

            And now Blake moved at last, but one of the gun-toting cronies shoved him back, knocking him to the ground.  He looked up and straight down the barrel of his gun.  Blake had anxiously crawled backwards, even as he screamed to let Adam go, you’re killing him, for God’s sake let him _go!_

            And Adam, Adam was growing weaker, his struggles turning into ineffective flailing as consciousness faded until he suddenly went limp.  Eyes closed, he dangled like a rag doll from the big man’s hands.  On the screen, Blake’s screams joined with a hundred others in the studio.  Gwen was on the floor next to him, crawling on her hands and knees, screaming and sobbing, clinging to Blake.  Blake shoved her aside, yelling at her to stay down and away from the guns even as he was trying again to get up and go to Adam.  But once again, a gun forced Blake back. 

            The big man cursed and lowered Adam, releasing his neck to let the unconscious man breathe again.  Adam’s body hung limply, his arms outstretched as though crucified, cradled in the arms of his irritated tormentor.  He moaned softly.  His eyes fluttered, seeing the world upside-down.  It wasn’t clear how awake he really was.  But the giant man lifted him up and once again slammed him against the side of the chair.  Adam’s eyes flew open, seeming to finally register where he was, what was happening.  He cried out, tried to get away.  But the hands closed again around his throat, lifting Adam off of his feet and strangling the life out of him.  “Show me what’s inside of you, or this time you die!”

            Chaos and screams.  Blake roared, bellowed at the man to stop, was about to charge forward despite the threat of the gun.

            And then it happened.  Adam’s eyes emitted a soft green glow.

            Blake paused the recording there, grimacing.  The picture on his screen now had made the rounds of every newspaper and magazine, flew around the world over the internet, and stirred endless speculation.  Even now, the question of what, exactly, had made Adam’s eyes appear to glow had yet to be answered.  Whatever it was, it had satisfied the deranged lunatic and saved Adam’s life.  Blake had subscribed to the theory that it was simply a trick of the light.  But looking at it now, especially with what the girl claimed to have seen tonight, Blake wasn’t sure.

            Blake felt something wet hit his arm, looked down, and realized he was crying.  He shuddered, looking back at Adam on the screen, his eyes glowing green as the hands around his throat strangled him.  It was no wonder his voice had been damaged.  Adam could have easily been killed.  The thought of how close he’d come was making Blake shudder and sob uncontrollably as he reached for the bottle and took a long drink.  He looked at the Blake on the screen, saw the incredulous shock on his own face, and wanted to throw the bottle through the screen.  What did it matter, the strange green glow?  That was _Adam_ being brutalized only a few yards away, and he still hadn’t understood, still hadn’t been able to process the truth of his feelings.  The whole thing had seemed like a nightmare at the time.  He recalled thinking that this couldn’t really be happening, that he’d wake up and Adam would be fine.

            But that wasn’t what had happened.

            Blake started the recording again, watched as Adam’s tormentor laughed, set him back on his feet, whispered something into his ear, and then threw the smaller man face down over the arm of the chair.  Later, Blake learned that the man’s lips had been read, that he was believed to have said “Hello, brother” into Adam’s ear.  But Adam’s eyes were closed now.  He appeared to have lost consciousness again as he was thrown over his chair.  He lay limply where he landed, one arm falling to dangle over the front of the chair.  Blake remembered feeling, along with the overriding concern for his friend, a bit of relief.  It was over.  The madman would take whatever it was he’d wanted and go.

            But then the man had reached into his bag, producing a length of rope, and it had become terrifyingly clear what it was that he’d come for.

            A scream of negation hurt Blake’s throat even as the image of himself on the tape screamed, tried to run to his friend.  Blake numbly watched as the man next to him on the recording swung his weapon, the barrel catching Blake hard across the face and sending him sprawling on the floor, blood pouring from the laceration on his cheek.  Seated on the couch in front of the screen, Blake reached up his fingers, traced the faint scar on that cheek.  It had taken twelve sutures to close, but what did it matter?  No one was helping Adam, and Adam’s arms were being pulled back, his tormentor starting to rope them together just above the elbows.  His shoulders were drawn back painfully, and it seemed to rouse Adam.  He came back around, raised his head, and started to struggle, trying to get up.  “No.  No!  Stop it, Breaker, leave me alone!”

            Breaker shoved him back down.  “Hold still!”

            “Fuck you!  You’re not taking me!” Adam yelled, kicking at his tormentor.  His voice was rough, and he coughed harshly before speaking again.  “You’re hurting me, and I’m not gonna just hold still and let you tie me up!” he rasped.  “I know what you want, you son of a bitch, and I won’t do it!  I won’t!  I’m no use to you, Breaker, let me go!”

            And that was when Breaker had grabbed a fistful of Adam’s hair and pulled his head up, forcing him to watch as two men pressed the barrels of their weapons against Blake’s head.

            Shuddering, Blake took another long drink.  That moment, when he’d felt the cold metal of the barrels and looked up into Adam’s horrified eyes, still made his stomach churn.  He’d been terrified, naturally, believing that he was about to be killed.  But somehow it was worse, so much worse, when Adam’s hazel eyes had dimmed in defeat, the will to fight gone.  When he’d gone limp and passive, lying quietly over the arm of his chair and letting his tormentor tie his elbows, then his wrists, and finally his ankles without resistance. 

            “That’s better,” Breaker called when he’d finished.  “It’s good to see you actually do listen with the right motivation, pretty boy!”  Then Breaker had picked up Adam and tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  The sick bastard had actually _winked_ at Blake as he’d adjusted his burden, grinning broadly as if the two shared some secret joke.  The action and the choice of words had made Blake feel sick, his skin crawling at the implications.  And then the monster simply turned around and walked out, carrying Adam helplessly over his shoulder.  Adam hadn’t said a word, hadn’t struggled.  All he’d done was look back anxiously at Blake, and then sag in relief when he saw the gunmen were walking out with them.  Even then, bound and being carried off to whatever fate awaited him over the shoulder of the man who’d already brutalized him, Adam’s only concern seemed to be that Blake was safe.

            For him.  Adam had stopped fighting, allowed himself to be bound and taken away, to save _him_.

            The Blake on the recording had realized that, too.  And now, too late, far too late, he tried desperately to save Adam.  Mutely, Blake watched himself try to run forward only to be tackled from behind by Carson and a bunch of the stage crew.  He heard himself screaming Adam’s name over and over, saw himself fighting to get up, desperate to help him.  And he remembered that this was the moment, the exact moment, that he’d finally stopped lying to himself.

            This was the moment that he’d finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Adam.

            The recording ended there.  It didn’t show how he’d had to be practically carried back to his trailer, sobbing that he wished they’d just shot him, rather than taking Adam away.  Or how Gwen was the first person he’d confessed his true feelings about Adam to, that very night as she tried to comfort him.  He’d sobbed the truth of his feelings right into her shoulder.  He still recalled the hurt in her dark eyes.  But Gwen hadn’t been too surprised.  “I guess I kind of knew all along,” she’d said.  “I really thought you and I could make it work, Blake.  But I understand.”

            And she had understood.  She’d stood proudly next to him, supporting him at that first press conference when Blake had reached out to Breaker.  “I’m here today to admit that I am in love with Adam Levine,” he’d announced.  “And I will give all I have to get him back.  Please contact the police, the studio, or my agent with any ransom demand you wish to make.  I swear I’ll pay it!  And please, don’t hurt Adam!  Please, I beg you, let him come home safe!”

            Time after time during that terrible week, interview after interview, Blake had made that same plea.  But every call had turned out to be a dead end.  Meanwhile, there had been a special short TV spot where the winners of the disastrous night, those who would go on into the final event, were announced, featuring the remaining three coaches.  Blake had made his plea there, as well.  But it wasn’t until just before the final show that Blake’s phone had finally rung, the unknown number and the unknown voice with the welcome news.  “Adam Levine is safe.  He’ll be late, but he’s coming for the final program.”  And then the line had gone dead.

            That voice.  That deep baritone, the British accent.  _One._   Blake hadn’t made the connection until now.  At the time, he hadn’t known if he could believe what he’d been told.  He’d spoken to the police, who had no leads, and to Carson, who tried to let Blake down easy, explaining that some people were nuts, or just wishful thinkers.  And of course, when the final show began, Adam wasn’t there.  A bouquet of flowers rested in his chair.

            Then, partway into the show, a commotion backstage, people running out, laughing and crying, yelling for Blake.  And there, covered in bruises and bandages, riding in a wheelchair being pushed by a smiling woman in scrubs, came Adam.

            Blake watched the recording, seeing himself run to Adam, scoop him from the chair despite the warnings of the nurse, and hug him tightly, not even letting Adam’s feet touch the ground.  He saw Adam wince in pain, his battered face grimacing as his injuries were aggravated.  And yet he clung just as tightly to Blake, smiling despite the pain.  “Let me down, Big Country,” he said at last.  “I’ve got broken ribs, and you’re gonna pull the stitches in my back.”

            Blake had carefully lowered him.  Adam had a cast on one foot and balanced precariously on the other until Blake scooped him up once more, carrying him bridal style to his big red chair.  Adam had laughed, clinging to Blake’s neck while Pharrell set the flowers aside to let Blake lower Adam into the chair.  Adam’s nurse had tisked and shaken her head at this treatment of her patient, but even she was smiling.  The audience was on its feet.  Adam’s bruised face must have made it hurt to smile, but he was smiling anyway, laughing, so happy to be back.

            Then, Blake had made his fatal mistake.  He’d put his hand on Adam’s shoulder, right there on live television in front of an emotional audience, and asked the question that had plagued his mind for a week now.  “Adam, did he hurt you?  He called you a pretty boy, and winked at me when he took you away, and I need to know, did he…?”

            Adam’s smile vanished.  His eyes had squeezed tightly shut.  His face went pale, and then flushed.  And then he’d nodded, looking sadly at Blake.  “If you’re asking if he raped me?  The answer is yes.  He did.”

            It felt like being kicked in the stomach.  Blake had dropped to his knees, clinging to Adam’s hands in the stunned silence of the studio.  “I’ll get you through it, darlin’, I’ll be right here with you!” he swore.  “I love you, Adam, and no matter what, whatever comes, I am going to stand with you, all the way!”

            The studio had exploded in noise, screams and cheers, applause and stomping feet all in ear-shattering approval of Blake’s vow.  Even Carson had been sobbing, forced to call for a break just to let everyone recover.  But Adam’s eyes had darkened, become guarded.  He’d swallowed hard, not meeting Blake’s eyes, and gave a small smile and nod.

            Blake’s emotions had been a mess.  He’d gone back to his chair and had barely been able to focus on the show.  His mind was on Adam, on their future together.  He’d meant every word.  Blake would stand with Adam, help him heal physically and emotionally, through whatever lay ahead of them.

            He wanted to marry Adam.  He wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

            But then the show ended with Adam’s third win, and before Blake could pull him aside to talk, Adam’s nurse had gotten him back into the wheelchair and started to wheel him out.  The crowd had surged, separating them.  By the time Blake was able to break through, they were already through the door.  Even though Blake chased after, he was somehow still too late.  Adam was gone.

            Blake had called, but gotten no answer.  Then he’d called every hospital in the city.  He knew he was listed as Adam’s emergency contact, but Adam hadn’t been admitted anywhere.  Puzzled, he’d gone to Adam’s home the next morning to find a “For Sale” sign, movers already at work clearing out Adam’s belongings.  No one seemed to know where Adam was.  The things being removed from the house, all of Adam’s possessions, were being sold, donated, given away, or discarded.  And no amount of calling or texting Adam could elicit a response.  Brokenhearted, Blake had realized too late that he’d exposed a rape victim on national television, and then sworn his love right when Adam had been at his most vulnerable.  Was it any wonder that the rock star wouldn’t respond to him now?

            That was when the long silence had begun.  It wasn’t until after a couple of weeks had gone by that Adam began sending him pictures or instagrams.  And he hadn’t seen Adam again until last night.  Adam, and his mysterious new friends.  His so-called “brothers.”

            _“Hello, brother.”_

            _“Adam Levine is safe.  He’ll be late, but he’s coming for the final program.”_

            That mysterious voice on the phone.  One.  The young Brit had been the caller who’d told Blake Adam would return.  Blake was sure of it.  He took another long drink, picked up the phone and dialed Carson.  “Hey Carson?” he began when the host answered.  “Sorry to call so late, but I gotta know.  You wouldn’t happen to have contact information for One, that British kid with Adam, would you, buddy?  You do?  Great!  Sure, I’ll wait.”  Blake set his bottle aside and scrambled for a pen and paper.  “Yeah, go ahead.  Uh huh, got it.  Thanks, man, you’re a lifesaver!”

            Hanging up on a confused Carson, Blake quickly dialed the number.  One picked up on the second ring.  “One?” Blake began.  “It’s Blake Shelton.  I hope I didn’t wake you, but I really need to talk to you.  Can we meet?”

            “Now?”

            Blake looked at the clock and grimaced.  “Ok, it’s a little later than I realized.  When’s the earliest you can meet with me.”

            “Now, actually.”

            Blake brightened.  “Great!  Where can I meet you?”

            “You could open your door.  I’m outside.”  And once again, the line went dead.

            For a long moment, Blake just sat there, stunned.  Then he looked around.  He was dressed only in a pair of jeans, bare chested, barefoot, his hair a mess and his face still streaked with tears.  He reeked of the vodka he’d been drinking, the bottle of which was still on the table.  The house itself looked like a disaster zone, with clothing and various items tossed onto the floor and furniture.  He’d been sitting in front of the television by the light of a single lamp, looking like a closet drunk on the verge of a breakdown.

            Maybe that’s precisely what he was.

            Blake got to his feet, stepped around the mess, and moved to the window.  He cupped his hands to block out the light and peered outside.

            One was standing directly outside the window, arms crossed over his chest, looking silently back at him.

            Startled, Blake fell backwards with a curse, landing on his bottom on the floor in an undignified sprawl.  One of his flailing arms caught the table where the lamp stood, knocking it over.  The lamp hit the floor with a crash and went out.  Blake cursed again, looking up at the window.

            Outside, illuminated by the moonlight, One had turned and was walking towards the door.  He moved with a dancer’s eerie, unconscious grace, almost seeming to glide through the darkness.  How had he gotten in, past the gate?  Why was he standing outside of Blake’s window at two o’clock in the morning?  Blake had goosebumps.  It was the creepiest thing that had ever happened to him, and Blake had no idea what to think.

            Then the lock clicked, the door opened, and One walked into Blake’s house like he owned the place.  Blake could only stare numbly, mouth gaping as the Englishman came closer, stopping when he stood directly over Blake.


	4. Late Night Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake gets an illuminating visit from One in the middle of the night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the last update for a bit, as I'm about to go under the knife and won't be in condition to do much for a week or so. Figured I should at least resolve this latest cliffhanger, but I do apologize. I will continue it, if for no other reason than because Jackatlas1996 seems to be enjoying it!

            “Are you alright?” One asked.  “Sorry to barge in, but you took quite a tumble, and I was concerned.”

            “Huh?”  Blake blinked and finally made out One’s offered hand in the faint light.  “Oh.  Thanks.”  He took it, allowing One to help him up.  Of course.  Adam had both the code to his gate, and the key to his door.  That’s how One had gotten in.  Simple.  Blake blushed in embarrassment.  “You startled me, and…”

            “You’ve been drinking.”

            Blake grimaced.  “Yeah, I guess I’m a little drunk.”

            “You appear to have consumed over half of that bottle,” One pointed out.  “Between that, your breath, your slurring, and the way you’re currently swaying, I suspect ‘a little drunk’ doesn’t quite cover it.  You’re steaming pissed, mate!”

            “Um…”  Blake had no idea what the etiquette for this situation was.  He stumbled towards the wall, fumbled around until he found the switch, and flicked it on.  There was One, standing in his living room, looking with obvious disapproval at the nearly empty bottle on the table.  The young Brit apparently had excellent night vision, to have seen that in the darkness.  Blake moved quickly around the room, tossing clothing and take-out boxes off of one of the recliners to clear a place for his guest.  “Sorry.  Have a seat.”

            “Ta.”  One sat down.  He was once more neatly dressed, wearing a dark gray dress shirt, black tie, and grey dress slacks with black leather shoes.  He had a diamond stud earing in his left ear and a ruby ring on the ring finger of his right hand.  His short chestnut hair was neatly combed, and his gray eyes seemed to be studying Blake.  An oddly gaudy metal bracelet was snug around his right wrist.  Blake supposed it had some sort of sentimental value, as it didn’t seem to go along with the rest of his prim and proper outfit.  In fact, it looked as out of place on One as One himself did in Blake’s messy living room.

            Silence fell.  Blake stared at One, and One simply stared back.  Blake squirmed.  “Ok, what the fuck were you doing outside of my house at two o’clock in the morning?” Blake finally blurted out.

            “Waiting for you to call me.”

            “You knew I’d call you?”

            “I did.”

            “How?”

            “Because I knew you wouldn’t call Seven,” One explained.  “My brother asked for his space, and based on what he’s told us about you, Mr. Shelton, I believed you would respect his wishes.  But I also knew that you desperately wanted to speak with him.  Since you couldn’t call him, I was the logical person you would call, especially since mine is the only contact number we provided Mr. Daly.  You should know, Five very much wanted to be present.  He seems to think you might drink and...”  His eyes flicked towards the bottle.  “Well.  I know you were… attached to our brother.”  One grimaced and looked up at Blake.  “The truth is that Five was worried you might do your nut.  But I ordered him to stay with Seven.  I rather think he needs Five’s protection tonight more than I do, don’t you?”

            Blake blinked slowly at One.  “…What?”

            One sighed.  “Why don’t you ask me whatever it is you wish to know?”

            “Why the hell won’t Adam use his own name?”

            “Because he’s left his old life behind him,” One explained.  “We all did.  We had to, in order to go on.  None of us can return to what we were, and lingering in the past only causes pain.  What we are now, it’s important that we stay together, and we can’t do that if we’re locked into our individual pasts.  So we go on, together, and we’re stronger for it.”  He paused.  “It really is best if you stop thinking of him as Adam and start actually calling him Seven.  If you forget and call him by his old name, it will only cause him pain.”

            “What do you mean?” Blake asked.  “There’s no reason Adam can’t return to…”  He grimaced, remembering Adam’s confession.  “Just because he lost his voice and can’t be a singer anymore doesn’t mean he has to take on a whole new identity!  He can still play an instrument, write songs…”

            “He’s lost far more than just his voice, Mr. Shelton.  The three of us have been traveling, moving from mission to mission, all over the world for nearly a year now.  We’re all fully integrated, and there’s no going back from that.  But even if we could, after what we’ve seen and done?  None of us can go back to what we were.”

            “Ok, there’s this mission crap again,” Blake complained.  “Adam never wanted to join any sort of military, international or otherwise!  Hell, I wanted to take him hunting and he threw a fit, saying he couldn’t take the life of a helpless woodland animal.  I’m sorry, I just don’t buy that he suddenly got patriotic and picked up a gun!  Besides, the last time I saw him, that Breaker guy beat the shit out of him.  He was in no shape to enlist anywhere!  He was all over bruises and bandages, and…”  Blake snapped his fingers, his pickled brain remembering.  “You were the one who called me, weren’t you?  That night when Adam came back, that was you on the phone?”

            “It was,” One confirmed.  “Adam asked me to let you know he was coming.”

            “You just called him Adam!” Blake pointed out.

            “At the time, he was.  He stopped being Adam Levine and became Seven later that night, after he was taken from your studio.”

            Blake blinked.  “Ok, the way you said that…?”

            “He didn’t leave voluntarily,” One explained.  “That’s one of the things Seven wanted you to know.  He’d been permitted that final night, one last chance to see you, because I… made certain arrangements to make it happen.”  One’s jaw worked and he looked away for a moment before turning back to Blake.  “He was able to be there, but he was there under set conditions.  He couldn’t tell anyone why he’d been taken, or where he was going after he finished taping.  And of course, he was guarded.”

            “Guarded?”

            “The woman with him,” One explained, suddenly looking tired.  “She wasn’t a nurse.  She was armed with a syringe and under orders to inject him with it if he stepped out of line.  It would have stopped his heart almost instantly, Mr. Shelton.  Adam wasn’t being given a choice.  As soon as the show was over, he _had_ to come back.”

            Blake was on his feet, grabbing One’s arms, pulling him out of the recliner, and giving him a harsh shake.  “What the fuck?” he yelled.  “What kind of sick fucks _are_ you people?  You would have murdered him on live TV if he tried to talk to anyone?  That’s why he wouldn’t talk to me, because his life was still in danger?”

            One’s eyes had darkened in anger.  “I had nothing to do with it!” he spat, jerking free of Blake’s hands.  “I was only barely able to secure permission to allow him to come and see you at all, and it cost me greatly to do so.”  He looked away, suddenly quiet.  “Understand, once he’d been exposed the way he was, there was very little choice.  The Company simply couldn’t let him go.  He was permitted to see you that last time only because of me.  And then he was immediately brought back in, and integrated.”

            “Integrated?  What the hell is that?”

            One sighed.  “I’m afraid that’s classified.”

            “And this Company, this is the group that took Adam away again?  The ones that were going to kill him if he talked?  They’re the reason that we haven’t spoken for a year, and you’re still working for them?”

            “They are, and we are.  And that isn’t something that can be changed.”

            Blake’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  “So you’re saying, if Adam tried to leave…?”

            “He would die.  I’m sorry, but he can’t ever go back to what he was.”

            Blake saw red.  He grabbed One again, dragging the startled Englishman across the room to shove him hard against the wall.  “I swear I will beat the shit out of you if you do not tell me what is going on, right fucking now!”

            “Leave off!” One snapped.  “How dare you handle me?  I am not your enemy, Mr. Shelton, quite the opposite!  And if you harm me, not only will it very much upset Seven, but I’m afraid you will also have to deal with Five.  I assure you.  You do not want to deal with Five!”  He tried to pull free, but Blake would have none of it.  The grey eyes glared up at Blake, furious.  “Take your hands off me!”

            “What’s this Company?”

            “It’s an international group that gives us our orders.  Beyond that, I can’t say.”

            “Can’t say, or won’t?”

            “It amounts to the same thing!  Stop this, now, let me go!”

            “You are not going anywhere!” Blake snarled.

            That seemed to hit the young man surprisingly hard.  One suddenly grew still, his face seeming to freeze and his eyes somehow distant.  His pale face went even paler.  Then he was trying again to pull free, shoving at Blake.  One stood about six feet tall, and the six foot five country singer loomed over him.  He had a strong, lithe dancer’s body, but he was no match for Blake, especially not now, when Blake’s anger was pumping him full of adrenaline.  When he shoved at Blake’s face, Blake simply grabbed his wrists and shoved them into his chest, pushing him firmly against the wall.  The young man looked up, his eyes showing the first signs of fear as he realized he couldn’t free himself.  “Stop!”

            Blake tightened his grip.  “I want answers, and I want them now!”

            “I can’t tell you anything about the Company!”  One exclaimed, wincing.  “You’re hurting me!”

            Blake pulled him forward and shoved him hard back against the wall again.  One cried out, wincing again, and began to struggle in earnest.  “You’re a nutter!  Leave me alone!”

            “I want to know what the fuck is going on!” Blake yelled.  “What is so damned important, that it was worth killing Adam to keep secret?”

            “Stop this!  You’re hurting me!  I…”  One’s eyes widened in alarm.  “Let me go!  Quickly!”

            “Not a chance, pal!  I want some damned answers, and you’re not going anywhere until I get them!”

            Once again, the words seemed to hit One hard.  He froze for a moment, and then shuddered.  Then he kicked frantically at Blake.  “You don’t understand!  He can’t see this!”

            “Who?”

            “Five!  If he knows you’ve hurt me, we won’t be able to stop him!  He’s…”

            Outside came the scream of tortured metal, followed by a metallic crash.  As the security system blared, One gave a small cry of distress and managed to twist free of Blake’s hands.  He quickly started for the door, but Blake made a grab and caught his wrist.  “Hold it!  What the hell is going on?”

            One strained to pull away from him, his free hand clutching the sofa.  He turned, his anxious bright green eyes looking hard at Blake.  “For the love of God, let me _go!”_

            Blake immediately let go, not even bothering to stop the action of the rest of his body.  Unfortunately, he’d been in the process of yanking One back into the room.  Blake went backwards ass over teacups, and the back of his head impacted the table with a loud, hollow thud.  As the world went dark, Blake was vaguely aware of a crashing sound, yelling, and a familiar, much-missed voice.  _Adam!_   But even as he strained towards Adam’s voice, the blackness swallowed him and Blake fell into it.

****

            “Mr. Shelton?  Can you hear me, sir?  I need you to open your eyes.”

            Blake’s blue eyes blinked open, focusing on the concerned face of the EMT shining a flashlight into his eyes.  He groaned and tried to sit up.

            “Careful,” a second EMT advised.  “You’ve suffered a head injury.  Looks like someone broke into your house and attacked you.  Are you injured anywhere else?”

            “No,” Blake grumbled, reaching for the lump on his head.  His hand came away bloody.  Great.  He’d probably need stitches.  But what the man was saying didn’t make sense.  “What do you mean, someone broke into my house?”

            “Well, that, for starters,” the EMT replied, pointing at the door.  “It was hanging, barely, by one hinge when we got here.”

            “And then there’s your gate,” his partner added.  “Looks like someone drove a car or something into it, and then used some kind of battering ram on the door.”

            “What?”  Blake looked at his door.  The metal was dented and warped near the bottom, as though it had taken a heavy kick from an impossibly strong foot.  He looked, confused, at the EMT.  “I don’t understand.”

            “I can only tell you what I know,” the man replied.  “And I would strongly advise you to let us take you to the hospital.  You appear to have been drinking, Mr. Shelton, and combined with your head injury, you should probably be observed overnight.  Plus, your house is obviously no longer safe.  Your security team got here shortly after we did and they’re checking the grounds for any intruders, but until your door, at least, is repaired?”

            “Wait, you got here before the security company?  But I heard the alarm go off!”

            “Someone called us and told us that you were injured,” the EMT explained, helping Blake onto the waiting gurney.  “The security company is actually speaking with my dispatcher now, with our driver.  I’m not entirely certain, but it kind of sounds like we were called before your alarm went off.”  He gave Blake a reassuring smile.  “Don’t worry about it now, Mr. Shelton.  Let’s get you to the hospital, alright?”

            Blake reluctantly climbed onto the gurney.  As he was wheeled out, he caught a glimpse of the main gate.  Illuminated by the headlights of the vehicles, the gate dangled, a twisted mass of metal.  It didn’t make any sense.  But then Blake remembered hearing Adam’s voice, and he grew cold.  _Adam, where are you?  What the hell is going on?_

****

            It seemed like half of the nursing staff was a “huge fan” of Blake’s, which was good and bad.  Bad, because it meant they were constantly hounding him for autographs and pictures until a stern looking woman came in, apologized, and assured that he would “no longer be bothered by such unprofessional actions.”  Good, because he could give the big blue eyes, flash his dimples and thicken his accent, and get pretty much whatever he wanted from the smitten staff.  As a result, he was discharged early.

            He took a cab home, having it drop him off at the gate.  The new one was already in the process of being put up, but it was the old one he wanted to look at.  Last night was pretty blurry, but he’d definitely noticed something strange.  Now, in the cold light of daylight (and sobriety), he wanted another look.

            The solid metal bars of the gate were bent and twisted, bending out in the middle of the gate, in on the edges where it had been attached.  That made no sense at all.  The EMT’s theory that someone had driven a vehicle into the gate could certainly be ruled out.  If that was the case, the middle would be bent in and the edges bent out, the force of impact caving in the center and the resistance of the hinges and lock pulling the edges out.  This was the opposite.  The gate hadn’t been caved in, but pulled out.  Blake supposed someone could have attached something to the gate, hooked it to a vehicle, and floored it.  But there were no marks of chains or anything else on the bars, no tire treads, and he didn’t recall hearing any engine or squealing of rubber.  Whatever had done this had been silent and left no marks.  Also, wouldn’t the bars form a point around whatever it was that had been attached to them?  The center bars appeared almost square at the apex of their bend.  Blake reached out his hands and wrapped them around the furthest bend of the center bars.  They fit perfectly, with the solid metal bars bending just above and below his hands, as if he’d pulled on them while they were somehow flexible, causing them to bend neatly around his hands.  He glowered up at the non-functioning security camera.  The CCTV feed had gone out over a month ago after a storm, and he hadn’t gotten around to having it repaired.  He’d already had to listen to his security company complain about it.  Now he’d have to listen again.  Too bad, he really would have liked to have seen what, exactly, had happened to his gate.

            Blake moved to the house, where a new door was being installed.  He found the old door, put his foot into the dent in the metal, and once again, it fit.  It was also at precisely the right height that someone would have kicked it.

_“If you harm me, not only will it very much upset Seven, but I’m afraid you will also have to deal with Five.  I assure you.  You do not want to deal with Five!”_

_“You don’t understand!  He can’t see this!”_

_“Who?”_

_“Five!  If he knows you’ve hurt me, we won’t be able to stop him!_

            What Blake was thinking was preposterous.  No human being could be this strong, not even in the grip of an adrenaline rush.  But if it was somehow possible, they’d certainly feel it today, wouldn’t they?

            Blake checked his watch.  Miley had the studio now to work with her team, and the Dream Team, as they’d christened themselves after a spirited debate, was next.  If he headed over to the studio now, he’d be able to catch the trio as they came in.


	5. The Dream Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake gets some answers to his questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally starting to feel more myself, lungs on the mend after surgery. Appreciate the well-wishes I've received! Now I'm more coherent, I can get back to some updates. Enjoy!

            Blake showered and dressed in record time.  He pulled into the lot, parking in the staff parking lot rather than his own spot.  He didn’t want to alarm the three.  He was determined to have a calm conversation this time.

            And he certainly owed One an apology.  In retrospect, Blake cringed at how he’d handled the young Brit.  He hoped he hadn’t hurt him.  One seemed like a nice kid, despite being creepy, and he’d gone well out of his way to try to talk to Blake.  The fact that Blake had slammed him against the wall made him want to slap himself.  He just hoped that the young man would accept his apology, and so would Five and Adam.  If things were tense between them now, well, Blake had only himself to blame.

            It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Blake had fucked up royally where anything connected to Adam was concerned.  And if Five punched him in the face for what he’d done to One, Blake supposed he had it coming.

            Blake stepped behind a rack of equipment in the hall, certainly not hiding, just conveniently out of sight, and waited.  After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the Dream Team walked in.  All three were laughing, sharing some secret joke only they knew.  But the smiles vanished when Blake stepped out.  “Hi,” he said.

            Blake had been eyeing Five, waiting for the other man to make a move.  Five only stood about five foot nine, but Blake still thought the shorter man would be a match for him.  Blake was ready to take a few hits in the name of making peace.  But Five only threw his arm protectively in front of One and shoved him back.  It was Adam who launched himself onto Blake.

            “You son of a bitch!” Adam yelled as Blake landed heavily on the floor on his back, Adam on top of him swinging away.  “How could you hurt my brother?  What the fuck is wrong with you?”

            Blake had defensively been holding his arms over his face.  Now he snagged Adam’s wrists.  “I’m sorry!” he called, struggling to hold on as Adam strained to reach him.  He looked over Adam’s shoulder and smiled apologetically at One.  “I was way out of line, One, especially since you were out there in the middle of the night, which by the way is still creepy as hell, but still!  You really made the effort, and I was a complete dick and I’m sorry, and dammit, Adam, would you please calm down and listen to me?”

            _“Don’t call me that!”_

            “Seven!” Blake corrected.  “Calm down and…  Ow, shit!”

            Adam, unable to pull his wrists free, had resorted to headbutting Blake right in the mouth.  And now Five walked over, casually put his arms around Adam, and dragged the furious, struggling coach off of Blake.  For a moment, Blake was distracted, noticing that Adam was wearing a gaudy metal bracelet identical to One’s.  His eyes flicked to Five’s arms around Adam and saw a third identical bracelet there as well.  Meanwhile, Adam hung in space, suspended between Five’s grip around his middle and Blake’s on his wrists.  “Let go of me!” he yelled.

            Blake wasn’t sure if Adam was addressing him, Five, or both of them, but he let go anyway.  Adam immediately started fighting and squirming against Five.  “Let me go, brother!  I’m gonna kill that hick bastard!”

            “Not a chance,” Five replied.  He may as well have been addressing the weather.  For all the concern One showed last night, Blake was astounded at how calm Five was acting now.

            One approached Blake, handing him a handkerchief.  “You’re bleeding.”

            “I’m sure I am.”  Blake felt for missing teeth and fortunately found none, although his front incisor seemed a bit loose.

            “Do you suppose we could stop the row?” One suggested, eyeing a still struggling Adam.  “It’s sodding maftin today and I don’t fancy dealing with your aggro right now, Seven.”

            Blake had no idea what One had just said, but Adam growled and stopped fighting.  “Alright!  Let go of me, brother.  I’m done.”

            Five cocked an eyebrow at One, who nodded.  Only then did he release Adam.  Adam glared daggers at Blake, adjusting his shirt and trying to reclaim his dignity.  He was wearing long sleeves despite the oppressive unseasonable LA heat.  All three of them were, along with skinny jeans on Adam, regular jeans on Five, and black dress pants on One.  One was even wearing a tie.  And all three looked hot, with flushed faces and damp hair.  Five stepped forward now, offering Blake his hand.  Blake eyed it, and then took it.  The smaller man hauled him up with impressive ease.  Five was clearly very strong, and if he was sore, it certainly didn’t show.

            “What do you want, Blake?” Adam was asking, still scowling.  “I’m really not in the mood to talk to you right now because I’m still pissed that you hurt One.  Do you know you gave him big bruises?  How the hell could you hurt him like that?  He was only trying to help you, and you put your fucking hands on him!”

            “Steady on, brother.  In terms of injury, we seem to be even.  I understand you needed sutures, Mr. Shelton?” One asked calmly.  “I do apologize for that.”

            Blake gingerly touched the back of his head.  “What are you sorry for?  You didn’t do it.”

            “Actually, I did.”

            Blake eyed him.  “You couldn’t have!  I had hold of you, and, er…”  He glanced at Five, whose face was still oddly impassive, although he’d raised one eyebrow.  “Listen, One, I actually wanted to talk to you.  I promise I won’t lay a hand on you.  Miley’s team is still in there, thank God in a soundproof studio so no one heard any of this out here.  We got about fifteen minutes.  Can I invite you to my trailer?”

            “I don’t like it, One,” Five called.

            “Me either,” Adam agreed, still glaring at Blake.

            One waved their concerns aside.  “I’ll be fine.  After you, Mr. Shelton.”

            “Thank you,” Blake said humbly.  “Like I said, I won’t touch you, I just want to talk.”

            “I’m not concerned.  Lead the way.”

            Blake led the way to his trailer and let One inside.  It wasn’t much cleaner than his house.  Blake mumbled some apologies and cleaned off a space for One to sit.  The young Brit said nothing, once again sitting and staring at Blake until Blake cleared his throat nervously and began to speak.

            “Ok, first off, I’m really, really sorry about last night,” he said.  “I bruised you?”

            “You did," One confirmed.  "Both biceps and wrists where you held onto me, and my back where you pushed me against the wall.  You're very strong, and you handled me quite roughly.  But you didn't badly hurt me.  I assure you, I’ve had worse.”

            Blake winced.  “Can I see?” he asked, reaching for One’s wrist.

            One quickly pulled his hands away.  “Five took care of it.  Please don’t touch me.”

            Blake winced again.  Of course One wouldn’t want to be touched now.  Blake had no business even asking.  “Shit, I’m sorry, One.  I was drunk and stupid and don't know my own strength.  I'm embarrassed and so fucking ashamed of myself right now, and wish there was any way I could make it up to you.  But there wasn’t any way you could have been responsible for me falling on my ass and cracking my thick head.  You were just trying to get away from me, and I lost my hold and fell.”

            “Come now, don't be so on about it!  Please take my word, I am solely responsible for your injury,” One insisted.  He seemed more upset that Blake was upset than he was about the fact that Blake had actually caused him injury.  “I can’t explain exactly how, but I did, in fact, force you to suddenly let me go, resulting in your fall and the subsequent conk to your head.  Forgive me.  I hadn’t intended that, and certainly didn’t wish to injure you or knock you out.  I only wanted you to let go of me before Five came in.”

            “Ok, that’s another thing,” Blake said.  “I get how you got in, with Adam’s code and the key I gave him…”

            “…Actually…”

            “…But how the hell did Five get there?  What happened to my gate and door?  And how did Five and Adam get there so fast?  Were all three of you hiding out on my property last night?”

            One groaned.  “You’re taking the piss out of me, mate!  We all agreed you need to be brought in to a certain point, but there’s only so much I can tell you!”

            Blake leaned back.  “I’m listening.”

            “Yes, all three of us were near your property last night.  We were camping up on the hill across from your house, and Five and Seven stayed there while I waited outside your window.”

            “Still creepy!  Wait, the producers would have supplied you with hotel rooms!  What the hell were you camping out for?”

            “Because we knew last night would be a bad one for Seven, and he can’t be around people when he has them.”

            Blake blinked.  “What?”

            “Nightmares, mate,” One explained patiently.  “We knew after being brought back to that set, to that chair, that Seven would have nightmares.  And he did.  Oh, he did!”  One suddenly looked far older than he was.  For the first time, Blake noticed the dark circles under the bloodshot grey eyes, the obvious fatigue in the young man’s shoulders.  “He can’t be around people on nights like that, so we camped out in a secluded place,” One continued.  “Seven knows your property and the area around it, knew a good place, so we stayed there.  But he’s too bloody attuned to me!  When you handled me, some of the things you said?  You triggered certain memories that I would prefer not to revisit."  He ran a hand through his hair.  "All three of us have our nightmares.  I know that you didn’t intend it, but the truth is that you did hurt me."  He looked down.  "More to the point, you frightened me, Mr. Shelton.  And Seven sensed it, and triggered Five.  Once that happened, it was only minutes before he came in after me.”

            “Alright, I’m going to pretend any of that made sense and move on,” Blake declared.  “Why did Five come after you?”

            “Five protects us,” One said simply.  “I lead us, and Seven centers us.  That’s how it is for us.  We three are parts of the same whole, and none can function without the other.”

            “You’d best explain that a bit more.”

            “Five acts as the body, our strength, support, and protection.  He will always defend us if we’re under threat.  You were in real danger last night, Mr. Shelton, if you’d continued on as you were.  If he considered you a true threat to me, he would act to neutralize you.”

            “I see.”  Blake didn’t see, but already he was hearing more than he ever had.  He didn’t want One to stop talking.

            “I act as the mind, to lead and direct, as well as to understand and influence.  I’m the leader of our group, making the decisions and giving the orders.  And Seven acts rather like the heart, or the soul.  He processes and influences emotions, and works to bind the three of us together, stabilize and center us.  He’s the reason why Five didn’t thrash you earlier, and why he and I are both so calm.”  He grimaced.  “Obviously, Seven has a very limited ability to use his influence on his own emotions.”

            “But he can influence yours?  What about other people?”

            One shifted uncomfortably.  “I’m afraid that’s classified.”

            “Bullshit!  You obviously believe he can, or you wouldn’t worry about his nightmares affecting anyone else!” Blake pointed out.  “But that’s crazy!  That is, like, straightjacket worthy levels of crazy!”

            One sat back, folded his hands in his lap, and coolly looked at Blake.

            The silence began to grow uncomfortable.

            “Ok, let’s say I believe you,” Blake finally said.  “Five being the body, that means he’s, what, Superman?  Strong enough to tear a solid metal gate right off the hinges and kick in my steel door?”

            “Classified.”

            “So what about you, One?  What can you do?  Did you use some kind of freaky mind trick to make me let go of you?”  He raised his hand as One opened his mouth.  “I know, I know.  Classified.”

            One gave a rueful smile.  “I’m aware that this must be terribly frustrating for you, Mr. Shelton.”

            “Just call me Blake.”

            “Blake, then.”  One’s smile became warmer. 

            Blake smiled back, but the smile faded as his eyes widened.  “Last night, when you told me to let go of you and I fell?  Your eyes.  They were green!”

            One looked down quickly.  “I’m sure it was a very confusing night for you, Blake.”

            “I was drunk as a lord and got a head injury, but I did not hallucinate that.  Your eyes were green!”  He leaned forward.  “One, what made Adam’s eyes glow green when Breaker was strangling him?  Breaker was demanding that Adam show him what was inside of him, and said he was going to kill Adam unless he did.  But once Adam’s eyes started glowing, Breaker let him go!  Obviously he got what he was after.  So what’s inside of Adam?  Because whatever it is, it’s inside of you too, isn’t it?  And probably Five as well!  Is that why you call yourselves ‘brother’?  Because you all share the same thing?  Because you’re not the first to call Adam that.  Breaker did it, too!”

            “Please don’t press me on this!” One pleaded, finally looking up.  The grey eyes were distressed.  “I can’t tell you any more than I have.  And I only told you as much as I did because I need you to understand two things.  First, my brothers and I are very close, out of necessity.  Together, we’re quite strong, each benefiting from the contributions of the others.  But if for whatever reason we’re cut off from each other, we suffer the loss rather keenly.  That is why we will always be together.”

            “I see.”  Blake fought back his jealousy.  “Basically, you tell everyone what to do, Five does it, and Adam or Seven or whatever he wants to be called now decides how you all feel about it, and everything else is classified.  Got it.”

            One blinked.  “That is a surprisingly simple yet essentially correct assessment of our roles.”

            “Thanks.  So I understand the first thing.  What’s the second?”

            One rubbed the back of his neck.  “I'm overstepping my boundaries to tell you this, but I find I can't abide you being hurt.  I've heard so much about you that I practically feel as if we're mates already.  So, as a mate, I will tell you that there’s no reason to be jealous of us.  We three are brothers, Blake, not lovers.  I’ve never seen anyone else affect Seven like you do.  I sincerely believe that he wanted to make contact, to let you know what happened to him and what he’d become, but…”  He shrugged.  “We are very closely policed.  We’re even tracked.”  He held up his right arm, displaying the weird metal bracelet the three wore.  “It’s got multiple functions, but first and foremost it is a tracking device.  All three of us have one.”

            “So, someone’s always watching you?”  The hairs on the back of Blake’s neck were standing up.

            “Yes.  We must keep within mission parameters.  Seven, for example, couldn’t make any direct contact with you while we weren't assigned to you, but he was permitted to send you certain greetings, to let you know he was alive and well.”

            “Landscapes.”

            “Precisely.”

            Blake paused, and then spoke quickly.  “Does Adam still have feelings for me?”

            One looked down, suddenly seeming to hunch into himself.  “I don’t do well with emotions,” he said evasively.  “That’s Seven’s territory.  I don’t know how he feels about you now.  But I can tell you that he spoke fondly of you all the time, Blake.  It was obvious to both myself and Five that he missed you.  He was even using privileges to be able to send you those landscapes, and we don’t get many of those.  Seven guards our emotions, but none more so than his own.  He keeps his emotions very tightly wrapped, which makes his nightmares even worse."  He looked back up at Blake.  "But the truth is, Five and I have had many talks together out of Seven’s hearing, and we both agree.  Seven still feels something for you, Blake.  I don’t know if he still fancies you, but there’s certainly something.”

            Blake’s mouth had suddenly gone dry.  “And how do you and Five feel about that?  About me and A- Seven?”

            “Frankly, I think it could do my brother a world of good, having you back in his life, regardless of the capacity,” One replied.  “I rather doubt Five would be anything but pleased.  Besides, considering how much sex Five gets on a regular basis, he’ll have no cause to complain.”  He grimaced.  “If I have to hear one more load of tosh story about him licking hot fudge off the baps of some bird…!”

            Blake laughed.  “Don’t understand the language, but I get the sentiment.  Thanks a lot, One.  You took a lot of weight off of my shoulders.  But that business with your eyes…?”  He took a deep breath and plunged in.  “During the blinds, Shaina got upset when she asked Adam to sing with her and he told her that his voice was gone.  He went up, got her calmed down…”  He paused, his eyes going wide.  “He got her calmed down very, very fast, despite the fact that she looked flat-out shattered when he told her the truth.  And then, she pulled away from him, and his eyes were glowing green.  And now you’re telling me he has an effect on emotions?”  Blake clenched his fists.  “Holy fuck!  It’s real, isn’t it?  Adam really does have the ability to influence other people’s emotions!  What’s giving him that power?  And you, you’ve got the same kind of thing, only it lets you control minds.  Five’s got it too, making him super strong.  So what is it?  What’s inside of all three you, making your eyes glow and giving you these powers?  Do not tell me that’s classified, One, because I want an answer to this one!”

            “You would ask that,” One sighed.  He looked acutely uncomfortable now.  “The most difficult question of all.  Blake, it has to do with the reason that all of this happened, why Breaker came for my brother in the first place, and what we are now.”

            “And that is?”

            “So deeply classified that I cannot even give you a hint!”

            Blake’s face fell.  He sagged, slumping dejectedly into his chair. 

            “Don’t be that way, mate!  Here.”  One moved quickly, sitting so he was shoulder to shoulder with the big country singer.  He reached into his pocket and produced a familiar rectangle of silver foil.  “I shouldn’t have told you half of what I have.  And under no circumstance should I show you this.  But I think you deserve to know the truth.  I need you to touch me.”

            “Uuuuummmmm…”

            One rolled his eyes.  “The shoulder is fine.  It’s how we usually do it anyway.”

            Blake gingerly put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder.  “Ok?”

            “Now watch.”  One gently traced his fingers over the foil.

            Before Blake’s eyes, words appeared, glowing on the foil where none were before.  The language wasn’t English, and, based on the motion of One’s hand as he activated the message, was meant to be read right to left.  Blake was fascinated.  “Invisible ink!  Neat!  What’s it say?”

            “This is how we get our orders,” One explained, standing and moving away from Blake while pocketing the foil.  “There are three different types of ticket: copper, silver, and gold.  Copper tickets are just standard, go in, accomplish a given task, and get out.  Low danger involved, any one of us can lead it, and we don’t even have to all three go.  Silver tickets like this one have a designated lead, Seven in this case.  They generally take longer to complete, and are more difficult.  Most of our orders are on silver tickets.  They have much greater risk and danger, and have the potential to generate gold tickets.”

            “And gold tickets are the hardest?”

            “Gold tickets are kill orders,” One said simply.  “They’re a name, any essential information to find the target, and that’s it.”

            Blake blinked.  “You guys get orders to kill people?”

            “Far too often for any of our tastes,” One sighed.

            “And Adam, Seven, he carries these out?”  Blake was incredulous.

            “We _all_ carry them out, mate!” One exclaimed, exasperated.  “But I need you to focus, please, because the ticket I showed you, our current orders?  As you’ve likely twigged what our orders are, I won’t upset you again by hiding behind classification level.  We got part of a silver ticket, telling us to enter a certain transport and be delivered to an unknown destination.  Seven was to serve as point.  The other half of the ticket gave us the rest of the mission, which was that Seven was to return to your program as a vocal coach.  Five and I were to do whatever was required to facilitate this, with the goal of all three of us staying on the set while the program was being taped.  Once that was accomplished, we were to wait for further orders.  Beyond that, all the ticket said was that this was a protection detail, and we would be given our specifics once we’d attained our position.  And last night, after Seven reported that we were in position, he was given the name of the person we were here to protect.  One Blake Shelton.”

            Blake blinked again.  “Uh, what?”

            “You’re in danger, Blake,” One explained.  “And the three of us have been sent here to protect you.”

            “What?”  Blake shook his head.  “Who did I piss off and what did I do that I need protected by people like you?”  He raised a hand.  “I know, classified.”

            “We generally don’t get a whole lot of ‘why’ on these tickets, Blake,” One said by way of apology.  “We just get told what to do and are expected to see it through.  But you can imagine, this particular mission hit Seven rather hard.  He believes that you’re in danger because you’re connected to him.”

            Blake stood up and dared to take One’s arm.  As the young man froze, looking up at him in alarm, Blake looked him in the eye.  “One.  You all but told me that Seven can influence emotions.  Can he do it to the point that he could make them fall in love?”

            One grew still.  For a moment, Blake didn’t think he’d answer, or announce again that it was classified.  But then One began to speak.  “Seven isn’t the man you knew any longer, Blake.  His ability is the strongest of the three of us, and the rarest.  He’s an empath, capable of sensing and influencing human emotions.  And when we’re given gold tickets, he puts his ability to use in completing those missions.  I’ve seen him reduce grown men, hardened mercenaries, into terrified blubbering wrecks.  Seven can, and has, literally driven people insane.  Can he make you believe you’ve fallen in love with him?  Absolutely he could!  But not permanently.  And his powers as an empath weren’t fully developed until after he’d been integrated, which didn’t happen until after you saw him that last time.  So if you still feel the same way about him that you did a year ago, Blake?  Then you can rest assured that it is your emotion, not his.”

            Blake sucked in his breath.

            "That being said," One continued, "I need to warn you to very carefully consider your next move.  Of all that I just told you, the most important thing to keep in mind is that he is not the man you once knew.  His situation is extremely complicated, and if you try to pursue a relationship with him right now, you will be fighting a very difficult battle."

            "You're telling me to back off of him?"

            "I'm telling you to be wary.  Beyond that, it is entirely between the two of you."


	6. Unwilting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake returns to Oklahoma and revisits the memory of a fateful road trip that changed the course of his relationship with Adam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the first vignette! For anyone who notices changes, this version is cannon.
> 
> Again, song here, and main theme for this entire piece, is "Price of Love" by Bad English. Except for the wrong gender in the beginning, this is basically the backbone of the story.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLvMCpAsuRY

            Blake pulled his truck over in an empty field, some distance from his home town in Oklahoma.  He climbed out and strolled out into the field.  All around, the long bunches of tiny flowers swayed gently in the breeze.  Blake reached out and plucked one of them.  The flowers were anything but pretty.  But the memories they brought back were so strong that Blake found himself staggering, dropping down into an ungainly sprawl.  He clutched the flower, crushing it against his chest, and closed his eyes, remembering.

            It had been almost a year ago that he and Adam had been here, stranded during a road trip that had changed both of their lives.

****

            The battered old pickup truck broke down for good in the middle of nowhere.  There were no houses, no other cars, and worst of all, no cell service.  Blake pulled the sputtering vehicle over just in time for the engine to give one last shudder, backfire loudly, and die.  Steam or smoke began to rise through the edges of the hood.

            Blake looked at Adam.

            Adam looked at Blake.

            Blake threw back his head and began to laugh.

            “I see nothing funny about any of this!” Adam exclaimed, throwing up his hands in disgust.  “I told you the engine was making a funny noise, but you were all, ‘Oh relax, it’ll be fine, this truck is ol’ reliable!’  And now here we are, stuck out in Bumfuck Egypt in the middle of Okla-fucking-homa with no cell service!”

            “Welcome to rural Oklahoma,” Blake chuckled.  “You ain’t in Kansas anymore, city boy, and no one out here is going to pay to put in cell towers for the farmers in the fields!”

            “That’s great, Blake.  Just fucking fantastic!  What the hell are we supposed to do now?”

            “Walk until we find some help or get cell service,” Blake replied, climbing out of the truck.

            Adam sputtered.  “Walk?  You cannot be serious!”

            But clearly Blake was.  He was already starting down the road, shrugging out of his jean jacket as he went and slinging it over his shoulder.  Cursing, Adam grabbed the last bottle of flavored water and darted off after him.

            For a time, the two walked in silence.  The late afternoon December sun beat down, but the temperature was in the high 60’s.  It was fine weather for walking.  The two men set a brisk pace, Adam hurrying them along, wanting to get cell service, and Blake keeping pace easily, the two passing the bottled water between them until it was empty.  But after a time, Adam started lagging a bit behind.  Blake slipped the empty bottle into the pocket of his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, glancing back at Adam.  “What are you doing back there?” he asked.  “Looking at my ass?”

            “Looks pretty damned good in those jeans,” Adam replied.

            Blake put a little extra wiggle in his walk.  “You know it!”

            Adam laughed.  “Very nice, Blake.  Besides, nothing else to look at.  I swear, I’ve never seen so much nothing in all my life!”

            “Once again, welcome to rural Oklahoma.”

            “Just gonna throw this out there for the record, ok?” Adam called, his face serious.  “I like the country as much as the next person, but this is just a bit too rural for my taste.  We’re talking kissing cousins territory out here, man.  If I hear banjos, I swear I’m running and leaving you behind!”

            Blake laughed, but he had to agree with Adam’s assessment of their surroundings.  They were walking through huge empty plains, the empty sky a blue dome overhead.  It was as if he and Adam were the only ones alive, the last two people on Earth after some great apocalypse.

            Adam checked his phone every few minutes, and was finally rewarded with a single bar.  Blake stopped, amused, and watched Adam do a little happy dance before trying to call AAA.  Part of Blake was glad when, after dropping the call three times, Adam was finally able to make contact, only to learn that it would be anywhere from one to three hours before help arrived.

            Adam was spectacularly unimpressed at the response time.  He cursed for a full minute after hanging up while Blake laughed.  “This isn’t funny!” Adam snapped.  “One to three hours?  Are you fucking kidding me?”

            “Oh, calm down, Rockstar,” Blake chuckled.  “You suggested this road trip in the first place because you wanted to talk about something.  You’ve clearly got something on your mind, buddy, but you barely said a word since we set out this morning!  Now we got nothing else to do, so let’s talk.”

            Adam suddenly went still and quiet.  He looked around, saw that they were next to a flowering field, and started into it.  Blake followed, easing himself gently into a seated position near his friend as Adam plopped with a distinct lack of grace onto the ground and lay back.

            For a time, neither spoke.  Blake waited patiently, letting Adam have whatever time he needed to say what he had to say.  But Adam seemed distracted.  He’d reached up and picked one of the long tendrils of tiny flowers growing nearby to inspect.  “What kind of flower is this?”

            “I think it’s an amaranth,” Blake replied.  “They’re weeds, really, drive the farmers around here nuts.  They suck all the fertilizer out of the soil and are damned hard to weed out.  Still, they’re interesting.  Hmm, how did that old poem go?”  He thought for a moment, and then began to recite.  “Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow, have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.  Bloom, O ye amaranths!  Bloom for whom ye may.  For me ye bloom not!  Glide, rich streams, away!”  He smiled, noticing Adam’s shocked expression.  “Yeah, I actually did get one of dem dere ed-u-ma-cations, ya know?  Learned me some readin’, writin’, and even ma ‘rhythmatic!”

            Adam smiled.  He played idly with the flower in his hands.

            “They’re supposed to represent immortality,” Blake continued, pleased to show off this bit of trivia.  “The name means ‘unwilting.’  The unfading flower.  God knows the farmers have a time with ‘em, so I think they agree.  Of course, they come in actual flower varieties, too, not just these weeds.  But they’re all called amaranths.”

            “Unwilting, huh?” Adam asked softly.  “That, I am not.”  He turned his head, his expression serious.  “Blake, do you think it’s fair, what you’re doing?  To Gwen, I mean?”

            Blake was floored.  “What?  What do you mean?”

            “You’re leading her on, buddy,” Adam insisted.  “She’s crazy about you, and you’re letting her believe that you’ll be hers.  That you’re able to be something to her, and that you can give her something that you can’t.”

            Blake felt cold.  His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at Adam.  “Adam, I think you’d best explain yourself, buddy.  You’re treading on some very thin ice right now!”

            “I’m aware,” Adam said unhappily.  His eyes were back on the flower in his hands.  “We should have had this talk long before now, but it was just never a good time.  I mean, after the divorce, I knew you were hurting too much to really do anything besides heal, and then I thought I might even have something going on of my own.  But I let her go because I can’t lie about my own feelings.  What I don’t get is why you do.”

            “Why I do what?”

            “Lie about your feelings.”

            Blake’s brow darkened.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

            “Can we please just skip the bullshit, Blake?” Adam exclaimed, pushing himself up onto his elbows to glare at Blake.  “There are no cameras here, no microphones, no fans, no one but you and me.  For once, can we please just be honest with each other?  Between the two of us, it’s not fair, what you’re doing to Gwen.  You’re letting her believe she can have your heart when she can’t!”

            “Why the hell not?”

            “Because it belongs to me, Blake!” Adam yelled.  “You can’t go on pretending you can fall in love with her because you’re already in love with me!  I’m the reason you got divorced, Blake, and we both know it!  You love me, and I love you, and I just want us to be together!  I’m sick and tired of pretending it’s all a joke!”

            “What?  _What?”_ Blake sputtered.  “I…  But we’re…  Adam, you’re confused, buddy!  This whole bromance thing we’ve got going on, it’s just a joke!  It isn’t real!  I’m a straight man, and I’m dating Gwen because I have feelings for her.  I don’t know if it’s love or not, but with her, that’s real.  With you?  I love you like a brother, Adam, not a lover!”

            Adam’s hazel eyes closed for a moment as he seemed to focus.  When he opened them again, they looked straight through Blake.  “Bullshit.  You can lie to the public, to Gwen, and even to yourself.  But you can’t lie to me, Blake.  I know, ok?  I know!  I am the one you always turn to, when you're hurt, when you're upset, when you're lonely.  It's always been me!  I'm your closest confidant.  You've told me things you've never told anyone.  We've spent so many nights together, just sitting there, talking so late it's become early and then sleeping half the day to make up for it, only to wake up and do it again.  It's always been you and me, and I know the truth.  You’re straight, except for me.  You love me, Blake.  And no amount of lying can change the way you feel about me!”

            Blake’s stomach churned.  “Adam…”

            Suddenly, Adam was on top of him, pushing Blake down onto his back.  As the startled country singer opened his mouth to speak, Adam clamped his own onto it, locking them together into a passionate kiss.  Adam’s fingers tangled into Blake’s hair, one leg thrown over Blake to hold him in place.  Blake was too stunned to move.  His blue eyes were open wide in surprise, and went even wider when he felt Adam’s tongue slip into his mouth.  His hands came up quickly, grabbing his friend’s shoulders.  He succeeded in pushing Adam away, holding the smaller man above his body while he gasped and stared at him in shock.  “Adam, what the _fuck?”_

            Adam’s face was set into a determined frown.  He swung his hips over, straddling Blake, and grabbed Blake’s hands, lacing his fingers.  He leaned forward, pushing hard with his arms, and forced the older man’s hands to the ground.  And then he was kissing Blake again.

            Blake strained, pushing up against Adam’s hands.  He knew he was stronger than the rock star, but Adam had the advantage of his position, using his weight, leaning on his arms to keep the larger man pinned.  Heart pounding, Blake twisted his face away.  “Get off of me!”

            Adam’s eyes burned as he looked down at Blake.  “Is that really what you want?”

            “Yes, dammit, what’s the matter with you?  Get the hell off of me!”

            “Then you’ll have to let go of my hands.”

            Blake looked and saw that, somehow, he’d closed his hands tightly over Adam’s, holding on so that his knuckles were white and his fingertips dug into the backs of Adam’s hands.  It was almost an effort to open his hands and let Adam go.

            He also had another issue.

            Adam, of course, noticed.  His eyes flicked pointedly down, and then returned to Blake’s, his face expressionless.  “I guess not all of you believes your lies, Blake.”

            “You son of a bitch!” Blake roared.  He grabbed Adam’s arms and threw him off.  Rolling over, he pounced on the smaller man, won a short struggle, and now it was Adam that was pinned, Blake straddling him and holding tight to his wrists.  “Listen to me!” Blake yelled down at him.  “You are confused, Adam!  There isn’t anything between us…”

            “…Except for your erection poking into my abdomen right now, right Blake?  Or am I imagining that, too?”

            Blake blushed crimson.  “That can happen in the damned shower, ok?  It doesn’t mean I want to throw you down and fuck you!”

            “Well, you already threw me down,” Adam called, shifting under Blake.  “Halfway there.  And you don't seem to be in much of a hurry to let me go, either.”

            Blake ground his teeth.  “I am holding you down because you just fucking assaulted me, Adam!  That was not cool!  It was way over the line, and it will not happen again!”

            Adam laughed, a dry, humorless sound.  “You’re so full of shit, Blake.  Look at me!  I’m right here, and you’re pinning me down, and there isn’t anyone around for miles.  You could do anything you wanted to me right now, Blake.  And you want to.  You _know_ you do!  Why don’t you let yourself go, and just do what we both know you want to do?”

            Blake was actually shaking.  “Stop it, Adam!”

            “Kiss me, Blake,” Adam whispered.  “Just kiss me, one time, and then see if you can still lie to yourself!”

            For a long moment, Blake couldn’t move.  His groin throbbed as he sat on top of his friend, feeling Adam breathing, feeling his heartbeat where he held tight to Adam’s wrists.  He looked down.  Those eyes, staring hopefully up at him, hunger so evident in their depths.  Adam’s lips, still moist from kissing him, slightly parted in invitation.  He lay still and quiet under Blake, waiting as Blake battled with himself, tried to navigate his confusion.  Adam was beautiful.  Blake had always been aware of that, but he was never more beautiful than he was at this moment, lying here in this field, offering himself to Blake.  Everyone in Adam’s social circle knew he was bisexual.  Adam had always had his pick of both men and women, but his heart was something he’d always guarded.  Since the two of them had become close, and their unusual friendship had spurred the bromance jokes, more than one of Blake’s acquaintances had cautioned Blake that Adam might consider it more than just a joke.  But Blake had laughed it off.

            He wasn’t laughing now.

            Beneath him, the hope in Adam’s eyes was rapidly fading.  “You just can’t let yourself do it, can you?” he asked quietly.  “You want to.  You so obviously want me that it’s pathetic, and you’ll never have a better chance than right now!  But you won’t let yourself do it.”

            Blake didn’t answer.  And that was answer enough.

            Adam squirmed, tried to pull free.  “Let me up.”

            “Adam…”

            “Let me up!” Adam yelled.  “Let me go, Blake!  If you won’t do this now, if you can’t kiss me and let yourself feel what we both know you do?  Then let me go.  We’re done.”

            That hurt more than Blake wanted to admit.  He let Adam go, watching as the rocker rolled over and then turned back onto his side, looking sadly at Blake.  Blake rubbed his hands over his face, sighed, and looked sadly back.  “Adam?  I’m sorry.  But I don’t want us to stop being friends just because you got confused!”

            Adam’s eyes closed, his face frowning in concentration.  A moment later he opened them again.  Once more, they seemed to pierce through Blake, seeing the truths he hid from himself.  “I won’t wait forever, Blake.  I can’t.  You need to make a decision.  I’m not unwilting, and I can’t just keep on pretending any longer!”

            “Adam…”

            “No!”  Adam got to his feet.  “It’s clear that you’ve already made your decision.  Now it’s time to let me go, Blake.”

            “Adam!”  Blake got up, reached for his friend.

            But Adam quickly pulled away, holding out a hand to ward Blake off.  “Don’t!  Don’t touch me, ok?  I can’t fucking live like this!  Especially not now.”  He laced his hands together behind his neck, facing away from Blake.  “I’ve got this huge decision to make.  It’s the biggest reason I wanted to sort this out between us, Blake.  There’s a company that’s contacted me.  They want to bring me in, connect me with a couple of other people with similar abilities.  They’ve been looking for people like me.”

            Blake cocked an eyebrow, confused by the sudden change of subject.  “Huh?  People like you?”

            “I meet certain specific standards, and they know what’s inside me.”  He shrugged.  “I can go in or not.  They won’t force me, it’s my choice.  But I needed to try to find out where things stood between us before I could make that decision.  It was the biggest factor, but I still haven’t decided yet.  I don’t know if it’s what I want to do or not.”  He dropped his hands to his hips and shook his head.  “But now there’s a problem.  Word’s out, and other people know about me.  The company won’t force me, but there’s other interested parties.  If I wait too long, I may not have a choice any longer.  It might just end up taken from me.”

            “Wait, what?”  Blake cocked his head, concerned.  “Adam, are you in some sort of trouble?”

            “Maybe.  Yeah, I guess so.”  Adam squinted up at the sky.  “But I can’t really do anything about it until the show’s over anyway, so my plan for right now is just to lie low.  I suppose it’s easier, now I know I’m alone.”  He shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter.  I needed an answer from you and I got it.  Everything else in my life right now can take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.  I don’t care anymore.  I just don’t.”  And with that, he returned to the street and started walking.

            “Adam, where are you going?” Blake called, starting after him.

            “Away from you!  I’ll walk out until I can get a decent signal and then call for someone to get me to the airport.  You can mail me my stuff I left at your place or fucking burn it.  I don’t give a shit.”

            “Adam!”  Blake ran up and grabbed his arm.

            “Fucking let go of me!” Adam yelled, pulling away and keeping his face turned away from Blake.

            “You can’t just storm off like this!”

            “Wanna bet?  Let me go, dammit!”

            “For fuck’s sake!” Blake yelled, throwing Adam’s arm aside like it was diseased.  “Is this it?  Is this how we end?  We’ve been like brothers for years, and then you get confused and when I won’t kiss you after you fucking _assault_ me, that’s it for our friendship?”

            Adam had started down the road again.  “I can’t do this anymore, Blake!  Just stay the fuck away from me!”

            “Fine!” Blake roared.  “Go to hell, Adam!  You had no right to put this shit on me, no business talking about me and Gwen, and you’re damned lucky I didn’t fucking punch you right in the mouth after you jumped on me!”

            Adam kept walking, giving Blake the finger over his shoulder without turning around.

            “Oh, fuck you!” Blake yelled after him.  “Don’t you fucking call me either, you miserable little prick!  You want me out of your life?  You fucking got it!”

            “Go fuck yourself, Shelton!”

            “Fuck off, Levine!”

            “Fuck you!”

            “No, fuck you!”

            “Eat shit!”

            “Whatever, just keep fucking walking!” Blake roared.  “You’re lucky I don’t kick the shit out of you, you son of a bitch!”

            Adam did.

            Blake shook his head in disgust.  They clearly had a limited vocabulary, but Adam’s voice had hitched as he’d yelled back at Blake.  Blake frowned, seeing how Adam’s shoulders hunched, how he’d wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he walked.  Was he crying?

            So what if he was?

            Turning his back on his former friend, Blake started back to the truck to wait for the tow.  His chest felt heavy, yet hollow.  He couldn’t believe Adam had done this, tried to seduce him, and then thrown their friendship away when Blake hadn’t responded.  What would they do now, when so much of their lives and their circle of friends was so intermeshed?

            It would be like going through another divorce.

            Blake kept walking, and didn’t look back.  _Go to hell, Adam,_ he thought.

****

            Go to hell.  Blake had actually told him that.  And two days later, Breaker took him away.  And how he had regretted it then!  For a week, Blake had no idea if Adam was dead or alive.  He barely ate or slept, moving around like a zombie.  He hadn’t realized until Adam was gone just how much the rocker meant to him, how great a role he played in Blake’s life.  Blake couldn’t turn around without seeing some reminder, be it a stray article of clothing Adam had forgotten, the pictures of the two of them around the house, or the constant media coverage of the abduction, the speculation and guesswork that only made his head hurt.  And through it all, two questions circled over and over in Blake’s mind.  First, was Adam still alive?  And second, what was Breaker doing to him?  The way the cruel man had winked and smiled at Blake, what was happening to Adam?  What little sleep Blake did manage was filled with nightmares of Adam trapped, struggling and crying, begging for help while Breaker held him down, forced himself on him.  To learn it had really happened was sickening.  All Blake wanted to do was be there for Adam, to support him and be the one person Adam knew he could always turn to, the one who would always protect him.

            Blake had been willing to die, if necessary, before anyone hurt Adam again.  Ironic that Adam had returned with a mission to protect him.  But everything was strange now.  Did Adam even feel the same way about Blake anymore, after all he’d gone through?  Could they ever go back to what they were?  Could they even be friends again, when Adam was so distant and cold to him now?

            Blake didn’t have an answer.  With a sigh, he got back into his vehicle and headed to the airport, ready to return to LA and all the unanswered questions the city held.


	7. Protection Detail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One, Five, and Seven are hard at work to protect their unsuspecting charge, but there's still time to address the elephant in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd toss this up, since the first is up now. Yes, the second vignette was written to come immediately behind the first, and now there are no more spoilers. Again, this version is cannon. Trigger warning for violence. Used "Drop the Bombshell" by Powerman 500 to write the first part, "Fix You" by Coldplay for the second part.

            _“Casting out the net.”_   Seven focused, letting the emotions of the city wash over him.  He hated doing a search in a city.  To his senses, cities were living things, swirling with energy.  Some of it was positive.  A father looked proudly at his son.  Two old friends reunited.  A young girl sobbed at a movie’s happy ending.  A couple enjoyed some vigorous sex.  But so much was negative.  A bullied teen contemplated suicide.  A woman was writing a scathing “Dear John” letter, preparing to leave her faithful husband of five years for her younger lover.  A battered wife limped through her kitchen, bringing breakfast to the man who had brutalized her only the night before.  But none of these were what he was looking for.

            Seven narrowed his search.  This was the worst part, removing the positive to focus on the specific negative emotions he was looking for.  The very air seemed to go dark and cold as the emotions swirled around him, the city suddenly a cesspool of painful stimuli.  The empath braced, fighting it back as it threatened to overwhelm him, narrowing his search more, more.  And there, the telltale emotions he was looking for, excitement, trepidation, anxiety and an underlying current of bloodlust, violence, and greed.  Seven concentrated on them, narrowing his awareness to the group of mercenaries waiting for their target.  He focused, linking once more to his brothers.  _“Seven total mercs, painting them now.  Terra, like we suspected.”_

_“Received.”_   One’s familiar presence flowed through him, following Seven’s senses to the mercenaries.  Now Seven could sense some of the detail One could pick up, two distinct vehicles, weapons, a buzz of thoughts as the men reviewed their orders and plan of attack.

            Of course, the telepath’s senses were far sharper.  Seven felt him focusing in on the men’s thoughts with laser intensity.  _“Definitely Terra mercs.  They’re planning to ambush our objective when he turns down that side alley, heading towards the parking lot to the set.”_

_“Just like we expected,”_ Five sent.  His presence hovered on the edge of awareness, noting what the other two were sensing.  _“I’m near the alley, in place to intercept.”_

_“Take out the four in the second vehicle, Five,”_ One ordered.  _“They’re the backup, heavily armed.  Watch yourself, brother.  Seven, you’re with me on the first.  That’s the three who will be making the actual abduction attempt.  We’ll let Five deal with the four in the second vehicle while we stop and insure the first three.”_

_“Copy.”_

_“Roger.”_

_“Seven, where is our objective now?”_

_“Sitting in traffic,”_ Seven reported after a brief search.  Finding this one was easy, coming as naturally as breathing.  _“Seems to be very much into his music.  Jackass.”_   Seven could picture the scene, the lovely singer, oblivious to his danger, playing air guitar at the traffic light, rocking out to his music on the way to the set.  He could imagine the sparkle in his eyes, the way heads would turn and fingers would point, fans delighted for a glimpse of that famous face…

            _“Get your head in the game, brother!”_ One snapped sharply, interrupting Seven’s fantasy.  _“Keep your focus on our targets until we engage.  If anything goes wrong, you’ll sense it first.”_

            Seven grimaced, embarrassed.  _“Sorry, brothers.”_   He started moving, heading towards his assigned position in the alley.

            _“Seriously, Seven, would you just talk to the guy?”_ Five urged.

            _“Not helping, brother,”_ One called crossly.

            _“Back off a moment, One, we got a little time and this needs said,”_ Five insisted.  _“Look, Seven, the entire world knows about the history of you two, that whole ‘Shevine’ thing.  They know what happened, the attack and all, but One and I know all about how things really ended between you two last year, before the attack.  Yeah, that was a bad scene, but you gotta admit, you came on pretty damned hard.  You can hardly blame him for how he reacted!  And now you haven’t seen or spoken to the guy in nearly a year, and we know that’s affecting you!  Your head is not in the game here, brother, and now that we’re protecting him, it’s becoming a real liability!  We lost him for over a day when he suddenly took off for Oklahoma without warning, and you went into such a panic attack that none of us could think!”_

            Seven squeezed his eyes shut, pausing for a moment.  _“Five…”_

_“No, this is something that you need to hear.  You cannot protect someone and completely avoid them at the same time, alright?  That means that you need to take the time to sit down and actually talk to the guy!”_

_“And tell him what, exactly?”_ Seven exclaimed, exasperated.  _“Do I just go up to him and say, ‘Hey, buddy!  Gee, I’m sorry that we had a huge screaming fight and then didn’t speak for nearly a year, but hey, I’m assigned to protect you now!  Sure, you don’t know anything about what’s after you, and it’s probably all my fucking fault that you’re in danger at all, but what do you say?  You wanna be pals again?’  Seriously, Five, what the hell am I supposed to say to him?”_

_“He very much wants to see you again, brother,”_ One said, surprising Seven.  _“If you’re at a loss on what to say, perhaps you should simply try listening to him?”_

_“Oh for…!  Now you’re going to give me shit about this, too, One?”_

_“Yes, because I agree with Five.  You know what you can and cannot tell him, and he’ll have to be satisfied with that.  But do go to the poor sod, Seven!  Whatever he has to say, I rather think he deserves a chance to say it, don’t you?”_

Seven massaged his temples. _“I’ll think about it.  Objective approaching our position, brothers, targets moving in to pursue.”_

_“Everyone in position,”_ One ordered, all business again as the young Englishman readied for battle.  Seven looked across the alley and saw him on the rooftop, opposite of where he was standing.  One nodded at him and then looked down, spotting Five crouched between two buildings.  _“Five, make your move at your discretion.  Our orders are to insure the lot.”_

_“Copy.”_

            Seven drew a long, narrow dirk and crouched down on the roof, waiting.  On the street below, the one person who had once meant more to him than his own life was driving up the alley.  From his position, Seven could see his hands drumming on the wheel.  He still had no idea the danger he was in.  If they did their jobs right, he would remain ignorant.

            He would be alright.

            It wouldn’t be like last time, the barrels of two automatic weapons pressed against that dear head, one beneath his chin, and one just before his ear.  His cheek dripping blood, marring the pale face.  Those eyes, looking at him, filled with terror as he knelt on the floor, hands raised in mute supplication.  He could have died so easily, the center of his universe obliterated with a squeeze of a finger on a trigger held by uncaring hands with no idea of how special, how precious their victim really was.

            And the last words they’d spoken to each other had been in anger.

            Seven heard a low growl, realized it was coming from his own throat, and quickly reined in his emotions.  _“I’ll talk to him tonight,”_ he told his brothers.  _"I'll ask him to go out with us somewhere."_

_"Us?"_

_"One, I can't face him alone, not yet.  I need you two with me.  But I'll talk to him."_

            _“Good man,”_ Five said.  _“Engaging.”_

            Below, the two vehicles, a black van and a white sedan, were passing, moving in on their unsuspecting victim.  The alley, which turned onto the main road a few feet from the parking lot for the studio, was an ideal place for an ambush.  It was narrow, rarely used, and the positioning of the buildings made it next to impossible to look down it unless you were right in its path.  A metal guard attached to the front of the van revealed the plan.  The van would run into their victim’s vehicle, causing him to stop.  Once he was out, it would be over in seconds.  The two passengers in the van would drag him into it, probably drug him, while the four escorts dealt with any witnesses or unexpected problems.  Simple, quick, and efficient, with little room for error or surprises.

            At least, it was until Five ran out in front of the sedan, raised both fists, and brought them sharply down on the hood of the moving car.  The car lurched, the hood crumpling from the force of the blow.  Momentum carried it forward with its nose down and its rear wheels off the ground, scraping and sparking along the asphalt.  Five hopped onto the mangled engine compartment, riding it as it slid for a bit until the rear wheels went back down and the car shuddered to a halt.  Then he was through the windshield and into the passenger compartment before the vehicle stopped.  The windows were soon darkened and splattered with blood.

            Seven reached out with his senses, joining once more with One and focusing an empathic and telepathic barrage on the three men in the van.  _Fear/confusion/uncertainty/need to get out/need to run/have to move!_

            Below, three men bolted from the van in a blind panic.  Seven jumped down, seeing One mimic his movement from the other side of the alley.  Landing on his intended victim, Seven stabbed brutally with his dirk, sending the narrow blade into the base of the man’s skull.

            Quickly pulling his weapon free, Seven turned and stared right down the barrel of a pistol.  He threw himself to the side, feeling the heat from the passing of the bullet right next to his cheek.  Cursing, he kicked out, catching the man’s ankles.  There was a crack as one ankle broke, followed by a much louder crack as the man went down and fired a wild shot, arms flailing wildly for purchase.  Then One ran around the front of the van, hand catching the man’s hair and jerking his head back.  The blade of his weapon flashed as it slit the mercenary’s throat.

            Seven dodged the sudden fountain of blood, grimacing as One let the man fall.  “All over the wall," he complained.  "Great, that'll be a bitch to clean.  Oh yeah, thanks, by the way.  Asshole nearly shot me in the face!  Man I hate guns!”

            “We all do,” Five agreed, running up.  “Especially those high powered rifles, man, those sting like a son of a bitch.  But you seriously need to be careful, Seven.  Bullets will hurt you a lot more than they do me.  Anyway, let’s flash this mess pronto!”

            “Gonna need a damned big flash, to get all this blood,” Seven said.

            “We needn’t worry about the blood right now,” One corrected.  “Just the vehicles, the bodies, and what’s on the three of us.  We’ll flash the blood later if we have a chance.  Perhaps sneak out on a break.  Hurry, brothers, together now!”

****

            Blake pulled into his parking spot, still loudly singing along to “Achy Breaky Heart” as it blared from the speakers of his truck.  The damned song had been stuck in his head since he’d last spoken to Miley.  His fellow coach was clearly smitten with One, chatting away about the mysterious young man as her father’s song ran on repeat through Blake’s head.  She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that One barely acknowledged her existence.  Young love!

            Shutting off his engine and the music, he climbed out of his truck and looked back at the two guards at the security station at the parking lot entrance.  Both had seemed somewhat distracted.  They were out of their booth, their attention fixed on the alley Blake had just come from.  Curious, Blake jogged over and saw a bright flash of light suddenly appear from down the alley he’d taken, his usual short cut to the studio.  It was as bright as lightning and just as suddenly gone, although the sound that accompanied it was nothing like thunder.  Blake started towards the alley, brushing off the concerned security guards, and ran to investigate.

            Three familiar figures were coming out.  Blake brightened, stopping.  “Hey!” he called.  “Did you guys see or hear anything back there?  Thought I saw a light, and I heard a sound kind of like a big ‘whump.’  Like a giant door closing or something?”

            “Nothing down that way,” One said, indicating the empty alley.

            “Huh.  I could have sworn it was from this direction, but you guys would have seen something for certain!”  Blake’s eyes narrowed as he looked down the alley, confusion wrinkling his brow.  There was a large dark stain on one building that spread out onto the road surface, probably paint.  There were also some gouges carved into the alley near the entrance Blake hadn’t noticed coming in.  The alley reeked of motor oil, smoke, and ozone.  That was odd.  But nothing otherwise seemed out of the ordinary.

            Unnoticed by Blake, the trio was passing a piece of golden foil back and forth to each other behind their backs, each taking turns running the pads of their fingers over it before returning it back to One.  One palmed the ticket, casually clasping his hands behind his back to hide the telltale flash of light that shone for an instant between his fingers.

            Blake looked back, his eyes seeking out Adam almost by instinct.  As usual, Adam wouldn’t look him in the eye.  But something seemed to pass between his two friends.  Without a word, they turned and headed towards the studio, leaving Blake and Adam alone at the end of the alley.

            Blake stood stock still, his attention riveted on Adam.  Adam’s cheeks were flushed and his hair was damp, as if he’d recently done some sort of exercise.  There was a faint black smudge on one cheek that Blake was currently holding himself in check to keep from wiping off.  But Adam was here, and for the first time since their disastrous road trip, they were alone together.  “Hey, buddy,” Blake called softly.

            “Hey.”  Adam seemed fascinated with the pavement.  His gaze appeared to be locked on it as he rubbed at the back of his neck.  “I was wondering if maybe, and you don’t have to.  I mean, if you have plans, or if you’re not comfortable, I get it.  Or if, you know, you just don’t want to?  I totally understand.”

            Blake carefully moved closer.  “You want to try that again?  I don’t think there was a question in all that.”

            Adam swallowed.  “I was hoping we could go somewhere after the show, the four of us,” he blurted.  “My brothers will give us some privacy.  I thought maybe we could talk?”

            Blake raised an eyebrow.  “I’d prefer just us two, honestly.  But I get why you want them along as escorts.  This is still pretty damned awkward, isn’t it?  You and me?”

            “Yeah.”  Adam didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands.  He finally settled for shoving them into the pockets of his jeans, still fixated on the ground.  “Like I said, you don’t have to,” he mumbled.  “You can say no.  I totally understand, after all that happened, and not speaking to you for almost a year, and One told you we’re here to protect you, right?”

            Blake smiled.  Adam was so shy and vulnerable right now it was all he could do to keep from just hugging him.  He suspected that would be unwise.  “I'm not gonna say no," he said.  "And yes, he told me you're playing bodyguards for me.  Still don’t know from what, but I’m flattered all the same.”

            “Don’t be.”  Adam’s voice was suddenly bitter.  “You shouldn’t need it.”

            The smile faltered.  “You gonna tell me why I do?”

            “Can’t," Adam said sharply.  "Classified.”

            Now the smile was gone, and Blake sighed.  “Yeah, I figured as much.  Starting to really hate that word.”  Blake took another step closer.  Now he was in touching distance, closer than he’d been to Adam in nearly a year.  “I’d love to go out with you guys and talk to you.  Seems like you and I got a lot to say to each other."

            "Yeah."

            "You got a place in mind?”

            Adam looked startled, actually glancing up in surprise at Blake for a moment before lowering his eyes again.  “No, actually I didn’t think this through that far ahead,” he confessed.  “I wasn’t really sure you’d want anything to do with me, honestly, after what happened.”

            “We both said a lot of stupid shit that day in Oklahoma,” Blake said.  Now it was his eyes fixed on the pavement, missing the surprise that momentarily flashed once more across the other man’s face.  “Especially me.  I don’t know what I was thinking, or what I was trying to prove.  But right from day one, I never could lie, or hide my feelings from you, could I?”  He looked up, finally catching Adam’s eyes, and saw the smaller man freeze.

            For a moment, the world stopped turning.

            “Your eyes, Adam!” Blake exclaimed at last.  “They just look right through me, clean through all the bullshit and straight into the heart of me!”  He grimaced, seeing Adam shift uncomfortably, look down again, and take a step back.  “Sorry, Seven, or whatever the hell you want to call yourself now.  I know it upsets you, hearing that name, but it's how I've known you all this time, you know?"

            "I get it, I do," Adam mumbled.  "It's just, I wish you wouldn't call me that."

            "You can call yourself whatever you want.  To me you'll always be you."  Blake's voice was suddenly husky.  "And you were right.  That day in Oklahoma, you told me the God’s honest truth, told me right to my face exactly what I was really feeling.  And I wasn’t man enough to admit it!  And then you were gone, and it was too late, and…”  He shook his head.  “I’m sorry.  I was a damned fool.”

            Adam was back to staring a hole in the ground.  He surely saw Blake’s boots coming closer, but didn’t seem to register it until Blake’s hand took his shoulder.  Then he quickly looked up and Blake was right there, reaching a hand towards his face.  His eyes grew wide with alarm as he gasped and moved to pull away.  But Blake’s hand tightened on his shoulder, and just like that, he went still.  Blake’s free hand rubbed at the smudge on Adam’s face.  It was some kind of black powder, soot maybe?  The skin under it seemed somewhat red and irritated.  Adam flinched, wide hazel eyes darting rapidly between Blake’s hand and his face.  Blake displayed his darkened fingers.  “Sorry.  Something on your face,” he explained.  “I didn’t mean to startle you, but it was driving me nuts.”

            Seven recalled the van driver, how he’d barely avoided getting shot in the face by the man’s pistol.  How close the bullet had passed.  Now Blake had gunpowder residue on his fingers.  Seven’s heart started to race, his vision locking on the scar on Blake’s cheek.

            _Blake was on his knees, two guns held to his head.  Blood dripped from his cheek, the laceration deep where one of them had struck him with their weapon.  Screams filled the air, but all he could hear was the pounding of his heart.  All he could see were Blake’s beautiful blue eyes, so wide and filled with fear.  The muzzles of the guns pushed small dents into Blake’s skin as they were pressed to his head.  He could feel the arm of the chair pressing into his aching stomach, the hand on his back pushing him hard against it, the strain in his shoulders from his arms being pulled back.  His scalp burned from the hand clenched tight in his hair, holding his head up, forcing him to watch as the men threatened Blake._

_My fault.  They did that because of me!_

            Blake stood over Adam, his hand still on his shoulder, his face wrinkling in concern.  “You ok?  Hey, look at me, buddy, please?”

            The former rock star’s eyes had gone wide and blank, staring at a horror only he could see.  His mouth was open in a silent scream, face pale and shining with sweat.  Blake had never seen anyone having a flashback before, but he was certain he was seeing it now.  “Hey!”  Not knowing what else to do, Blake grabbed Adam’s shoulders and shook him.  “Come back!  Whatever you’re seeing now, it’s not real, ok?”

            Adam’s head bobbed as he was shaken.  He gasped, blinked, and seemed to come back to himself, focusing on Blake.

            Acting on pure instinct, Blake responded to the sudden awareness in Adam’s eyes by pulling the smaller man into a tight hug.  “You’re ok, baby,” he soothed.  “You’re safe.  I've got you now.  And I swear, I won’t let anyone else hurt you.  Not ever again!”

            Seven processed what Blake had said for a moment, thinking about the mission they’d just finished, what they’d just done to protect Blake.  Blake had no idea any of it had even happened.  He had no conception of just how much danger he really was in, and yet here he was, vowing to somehow protect _him_ after he, not Blake, went into another damned panic attack!  It really was pathetic.  Seven might have laughed if it hadn’t been for the sincerity and genuineness in Blake’s voice, the way Blake held him…  Blake held him, he was holding him, what had he just called him _Blake was holding him_ and it was wrong wrong _wrong **wrong!**_

            Blake felt Adam’s body suddenly go rigid, heard him gasp, and realized with chagrin what he was doing.  Blushing, he quickly let go, stepping back to see, to his dismay, that he'd just triggered yet another panic attack.  “Sorry!  I’m sorry!  I just…”

            “Come on, brother.”  One’s deep voice rumbled next to Seven’s ear.  “Why don’t you both come inside?”

            Seven managed a nod, gasping and shaking as he clung to One’s arm like a drowning man.  The two started towards the studio.

            Meanwhile, Five had also returned, falling into step next to Blake.  Blake’s face flamed as he silently cursed his own stupidity.  What was he thinking, glomping without warning onto someone with as much PTSD as Adam clearly suffered from, grabbing him like that without permission and trapping him in his arms, especially after what Adam had gone through?  _Idiot!_

            “You still up to going out tonight?” Five asked suddenly.

            “Huh?”

            “Seven asked you to go out with us tonight.”  It wasn’t a question.  Obviously, the three had discussed this in advance.  “Don't let him down by backing out now."

            Blake frowned.  "What do you mean?"

            "I mean you don't know me and I've got no business telling you what to do," Five said, echoing Blake's thoughts so exactly that the larger man blinked in surprise.  "You don’t have to go.  But I know it would mean a lot to my brother if you did.  Seven needs to talk with you, even if he doesn’t do much of the talking.”

            “You think so?”  Blake eyed Adam, still walking with One.  One had his arm around Adam’s shoulders now, and Adam seemed to have calmed down.  Blake felt something twist inside of him at the sight.  “I don’t know.  Maybe it’s best if I just stay out of his life, you know?  I mean, I just threw him into a panic attack, probably a flashback.  You don’t think I’ve screwed the pooch enough already so far as he's concerned?  Can't even talk to the guy without messing up his head!”

            “I think Seven’s still in a lot of pain.  He went through hell last year, and then he immediately started with us and he’s never actually had a chance to really process it,” Five explained.  “He's got a lot of wounds right now, and some of them are still bleeding, especially where you're concerned."  He stopped, facing Blake and looking serious.  "But don’t think for even one minute that he’s weak just because his wounds are still fresh.  In many ways, Seven is the strongest man I have ever met.”  Five gave him a grin.  “So where are we going?  One and I have never been out on the town in LA before.  You got any place in mind?”

            “I have an idea," Blake said evasively.  "Why don’t I meet you all after the show, and I’ll take you someplace?”

            “Works for me!  And don’t worry.  One and I will make sure to give the two of you time to talk.  We do care about him, and we only want what’s best for him.”  He clapped Blake’s shoulder, his unusual strength nearly bowling the much larger man over.  “This will be an interesting night!”

            “Yeah,” Blake said, his eyes on Adam.  “I bet it will.”


	8. Out On The Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake takes the brothers out for a night of revelations and hijinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings, watch the tags!
> 
> Lots of songs for this section:
> 
> I Got Friends In Low Places by Garth Brooks  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0_der_5hRM
> 
> Not Falling Apart by Maroon 5 (My favorite M5 song, incidentally)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fof_kPdkuqY
> 
> The Pina Colada Song (Escape) by Rupert Holmes. You have to have seen "Dirty Work" to get this one. Here's a hint:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awvZZ3eSsg4

            Miley somehow intuited that the guys were going out and became a pest, nagging Blake every break until he finally told her where they were going.  He chose not to warn One.  Yes, it was petty, wanting to get back at One for putting his arm around Adam, for how Adam had leaned into his touch when Blake’s own had nearly thrown him back into a panic attack.  Fuck it.  Blake felt like being petty.  He had a suspicion that Miley wouldn’t be willing to just accept the casual answers and aloofness One usually gave her tonight and would make a real effort to get the young Brit’s attention.  Blake silently cheered her on.  _Let the limey bastard squirm.  Go get ‘em, Miley!_

            The taping went well, with some good footage Blake thought the producers and sponsors would like.  All six coaches had clicked well, bantering and teasing each other, keeping the audience in stitches during the difficult elimination rounds.

            As requested, two regular chairs had been provided next to Adam’s at the end of the row.  But Adam had relinquished his big red chair to One without a word, seating himself in one of the regular chairs between him and Five.  It had worried Blake at first.  But Adam seemed to have come out of his shell.  He was back to his old self, chipper and full of energy, quick with jokes and zingers, bantering with all five of the other coaches.  When One hit his button to steal an artist Blake was letting go, it was Adam who had gone to battle against Alicia for her, getting to his feet and then falling to his knees, yelling “I am not worthy and Blake is an idiot for passing on you!” in a groveling position that had the artist laughing until she could barely breathe.  When the artist chose his team, Adam ran up, hugged her, and then strutted back to mock both Alicia and Blake with a goofy imitation of a striptease dance.  Blake was about to pull his wallet and start waving bills when he laughed, pointed at them both, then turned around and slapped his hands on his ass before strutting back to his chair.

            “Now you know his day job,” Blake informed Alicia.  “He’s an exotic dancer at a bar called Leather Clad Lads.  They call him Chesty Charlie.”

            “And you were always my best customer, Blake!” Adam retorted.

            Finally, the taping was over and all four of the male coaches climbed into Blake’s truck.  Blake wasn’t surprised when One climbed into the shotgun position and the others piled into the back.  He wasn’t sure if their numbers indicated rank, but One obviously had been telling the truth when he’d called himself the leader.  Odd, considering his youth.  “How old are you anyway, One?” Blake asked.

            “Twenty-two,” One replied.  “Old enough to drink, so don’t worry.”

            “You drink?  Yeah, right,” Five scoffed as Adam chortled.  “You watch, Blake.  He’ll have one beer and nurse it all night.  And he’ll want it warm, in a frozen mug, because the English are weird!”

            One casually gave him what appeared to Blake to be the peace sign, and the two men in the back laughed again.  “See?  See?” Five exclaimed.  “They don’t even know how to flip people off the right way!”

            One raised his hand again, this time with only his middle finger in the air.  “This more to your tastes, brother?”

            Once more, laughter rang out from the back seat.  Blake couldn’t help but join in.  No matter how much he resisted it, it was difficult not to like Adam’s new “brothers.”  Even One, with his posh mannerisms and frankly annoying aloofness, wasn’t afraid to sink to self-depreciation and seemed to have a decent sense of humor.  Plus, he’d gone out of his way, told and shown Blake things that Blake was fairly certain he shouldn’t have, just to help ease the country star’s mind.  Blake almost felt sorry for siccing Miley on him.  Almost.

            One’s eyebrows raised, Five laughed, and Adam groaned when they reached their destination.  “A honkey tonk?” Adam exclaimed.  “You took us to a honky tonk?  How the hell did you even find one in LA?”

            Blake grinned, climbing out of the truck.  “I got to pick, and this is it.  C’mon, y’all, everyone out!”

            One was looking in the windows, interested, and was the first to start inside.  “They’ve got pool here?” Five asked, noticing what had attracted One’s attention.  “Well, that’s the last we’ll see of One the rest of the night.”

            “One shoots pool?” Blake asked, starting in.

            “The guy’s a hustler.  Never bet against him.”

            “Yeah, unless he’s playing you!  You’re the only one I've ever seen beat him!” Adam retorted, shoving Five.  “Try not to take all the money and single girls in the place tonight, ok?”

            Five looked innocent.  “Who, me?”  Then he jogged in after One.

            “Five’s a real ladies’ man?” Blake asked, amused.

            “You have no idea,” Adam groaned.  “But you’re about to find out.”

            Blake’s mouth seemed suddenly dry.  Adam had obviously calmed down while they’d worked, but he seemed somewhat anxious again now.  _Don’t blow this, Blake,_ he ordered himself.  _Just stay cool, and for God’s sake, keep your damned hands off of him!_

            Blake and Adam initially drew a lot of attention, but the two were used to quickly giving fans what they wanted.  Eventually, they were left largely alone.  True to their word, One and Five kept their distance.  Blake had a moment of smug amusement when Miley suddenly appeared and immediately attached herself to One.  One didn’t seem to know what to do about her.  She hovered over him, leaving him alone only while he took his turn at the pool table.  Between his turns, she was there, often clinging to his arm, chatting away nonstop.  His grey eyes seemed to regard her with a mixture of confusion, trepidation, and outright fear.

            As predicted, Five was rapidly becoming the center of attention.  He moved smoothly between the bar, the pool tables, the pinball machine, and the dart board, constantly surrounded by women.  Of the three, Blake considered Five the least physically attractive.  Sure the man was handsome, especially when he smiled.  His blue eyes sparkled, his blonde hair was charmingly mussed, and his wide grin was infections, displaying a set of perfect teeth.  The guy looked more like a cowboy than Blake himself, and seemed to fit right in at the honkey tonk.  But more than his looks, Five’s personality was magnetic.  Over and over, his laughter rang out as he chatted with the ladies.  It did indeed appear that every woman in the place was flocking to him.

            “Damn,” Blake commented, looking around at the jilted men glaring at Five.  “He get punched often?”

            “Sometimes,” Adam sighed.  “He usually only starts a fight if someone bothers one of us, but he gets people in his face pretty often.  Usually jealous guys, for reasons that are probably apparent by now.  Normally, if he can’t talk the guy down, I can.  But sometimes someone takes a swing.  And if anyone takes a swing at one of us, watch out!  Five doesn’t typically start fights, but he sure as hell finishes them!”

            Blake sipped his beer.  “You guys are pretty close, huh?  You and your brothers.”

            Adam quieted.  He and Blake had been facing away from the bar, watching One and Five.  Now he turned around on his stool to lean forward onto the bar.  “There isn’t anything to talk about between us, if that’s what you’re asking.  We don't have that kind of relationship.  They’re both straight, and we really do think of each other as brothers.  I'd kill or die for 'em, Blake.”

            “Good to know.”  Blake spun around as well.  He took another drink, steeling his courage, and began to speak.  “You know that day in Oklahoma, the road trip?  I can’t stop thinking about it.  Even then, you had this thing, the whole empath business.”

            Adam winced.  “One shouldn’t have told you so much about us.  It's not like him, to give up classified information like that.  He’s going to get in real trouble over it with Unum, our boss.”

            “Eh, he's just a kid, and I’ll keep it under wraps,” Blake promised quickly.  “But honestly, what he was telling me wasn’t as surprising as it maybe should have been.  Because you always knew what I was really feeling, didn’t you?”

            Adam spun his bottle in his hands.  “I’ve always been an empath,” he confessed.  “As long as I could remember, I could sense other people’s emotions, sometimes before they could themselves.  But it wasn’t until I was around eight years old that I finally figured out that what I could do wasn’t normal, that I was different.  Then I learned to hide it pretty quick.  I didn’t want to be a freak, you know?”

            Blake grunted.

            “By the time I was a teenager, I was so good at pretending to be normal that I came across as kind of a heartless bastard,” Adam continued.  “But all I could do was sense emotion.  I couldn’t manipulate it.  I mean, I knew there was something inside me that made me different from everyone else.  And I figured out early on that if I pushed too far to read someone's emotions, my eyes would make people freak right the fuck out.  So I learned to hide that quick.  Usually all I had to do was just close my eyes, focus, and then back off and no one knew the difference."

            "You were pushing back in Oklahoma, weren't you, that day?" Blake recalled.  "It's why you kept closing your eyes, wasn't it?  So I wouldn't see them glow?"

            "I had to know, so yeah," he confessed.  "And of course, when Breaker demanded I show him what was inside me, I knew right away what he wanted.  I'd been warned that he knew what I was, and that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt me to be sure.  So I suppose I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and heartache if I'd just shown him right away.  I just didn't want to…"  He grimaced.  "I've hidden what I was all my life.  I couldn't just, you know, give myself away like that, right on live TV!  So I fought, and he made me anyway, and that pretty much established the basis of our relationship for the next week."

            "That what ruined your voice?" Blake asked quietly.  "Him choking you like that?"

            "No, but he did intentionally ruin my voice.  And it certainly wasn't the last time he choked me, either.  He had me for a long time, did a lot of shit."  He shook his head.  "Doesn't matter."

            "It absolutely fucking matters!" Blake exclaimed.

            Adam shook his head again.  "It really doesn't, but I digress.  My ability wasn’t, you know, like now.  So that day, the road trip?"  And now he suddenly looked up, meeting Blake's eyes.  "I want you to know that I only told you what I could sense from you, what I exerted myself to sense.  I didn’t do anything to change you, Blake.  I couldn’t have influenced your emotions if I wanted to.”

            Blake grimaced.  “One told you.”

            Adam gave a slight smile.  “Get used to it if you plan on spending any amount of time with us.  We share everything, Blake.  That’s how it is with us.  We’re all part of the same whole.  It’s what makes us Shard brothers.”

            “What brothers now?”

            But even as he spoke, Adam winced and seemed to withdraw.  Blake eyed him, realizing that Adam had just let something slip he probably wasn’t supposed to.  By now, they'd been here for a couple of hours.  Adam hadn’t really been drinking, but he still seemed to be acting a bit intoxicated now.  Apparently he couldn't handle it as well as he used to.  It made no difference. 

            Blake sighed and took a deep breath, turning to face him.  “Maybe you didn’t influence me as an empath, but you’ve always influenced me,” he said quietly.  “Adam, you were right that day, dead right.  And I was too stupid to admit it until Breaker took you away.  The things I said to you that day were terrible!  I let you down worse than I’ve ever done.  And I want you to know, I’m sorry.”

            “Forget it,” Adam mumbled, staring at the bottle in his hands.  “It was a long time ago.”

            “I can’t forget it, not if it’s the reason that things are awkward between us!”

            And now Adam looked up, an eyebrow cocked in confusion.  “Blake, I get why you said what you did.  I pushed you too far too fast, and honestly, you were right when you said I had no right to put it on your shoulders.  But when that happened, I was in the middle of some pretty serious shit.  The Company knew I was an empath, and they were pushing me hard to come in.  They warned me that my information got leaked and Breaker was after me, and, I don’t know.  I guess I got scared.”

            “Considering what happened, I think that’s pretty damned justified!”

            “But pushing you wasn’t,” Adam insisted.  “I had a million and one chances before that day to tell you how I really felt, to let you get used to the idea and decide for yourself what you wanted.  But it was all so much!  The show was going on, the Company was pressuring me, Breaker was chasing me, and it all was happening right when you and Gwen announced you were dating, and I just felt like I had the whole world on my shoulders!”  He looked up, his eyes locking with Blake’s, searching for understanding.  “I’m sorry, man.  I came on way too hard and too fast, and you acted out of reflex and panic.  It must have been like standing in the path of an oncoming train!”

            Blake couldn’t argue with that.  He couldn’t excuse his own actions, but the way Adam had attacked him, and then blatantly thrown himself at him, had rattled him to his core.  “I was still a dick,” he said aloud.  “But thanks, buddy.”  He took another drink.  “Question now is, where do we go from here?  Think we could start over, be friends again?”

            Adam stared at him in disbelief.  “Blake, how the fuck could you ask that?  I do not get you!”

            Blake blinked, hurt.  “What do you mean?”

            “I mean I cannot understand how you can even stand to be anywhere near me!”

            “Huh?  Ok, you need to back up and explain yourself, because you’ve just confused the hell out of me.  This about Oklahoma?”

            “What?  No, Blake!  It’s about Breaker!”

            “Breaker?”  Blake sucked in his breath, his fists clenching involuntarily at the thought of Adam’s attacker.  “Wait, you don’t think that you’re somehow, I don’t know, tainted because that piece of shit touched you, do you?”

            “Huh?  No, I’m not talking about what he did to me, Blake!  What about what he did to you?”

            “To me?  You’re the one he carried off and…!”

            Adam pounded a fist on the bar.  “For fuck’s sake, Blake, they put _guns_ to your head!  They threatened to kill you, right there in front of me!”

            Blake stilled.  “Yeah, they did, but I still don’t understand.”

            “What is so hard to understand?” Adam exclaimed.  His face had gone pale, and he'd started to shake.  “Breaker threatened your life, Blake!  You were on your knees with two guns to your head because of me!”  He reached out, grabbed Blake’s arm, and clung tightly, pain shining in his eyes.  “Blake, all that you are, all that you could still be, everything about you could have been snuffed out in a moment!  They threatened to _kill_ you, and why?  _Because I wouldn’t hold still!_   Breaker was trying to tie me up and I was fighting, so they put guns to your head!  You almost died because Breaker wanted me to stop struggling!  They were going to kill you because of me, and I just cannot understand why you would possibly want to even breathe the same air as me after that!”

            Blake felt like he’d just been struck by a truck.  “Adam,” he began.

            Adam grimaced and turned away, back to the bar.  “Don’t fucking _call_ me that, Blake!  I’m not that person anymore, and I never will be again.  About time you figured that out."  He slumped.  "I've confused you so much, haven't I?  You just cannot look at me and not see Adam Levine!  And that's all on me, Blake.  I'm such a selfish bastard!  I never should have come back!  I should have just stayed gone after Breaker took me, let you think I was dead, grieve, and move on.  Instead, here I am, confusing the fuck out of you even more!  But no more.  I'll go back to the Company, tell them to pull me off of this project and assign someone else.  That's best all around.  And don't worry, I'll never bother you again.  After what I put you through, I can't imagine why you'd want me in your life anyway!”

            Blake lost it.  He reached out, grabbed Adam’s shoulders, and jerked the smaller man around to face him.  “You listen to me,” he hissed.  “The day Breaker carried you away was the worst day of my life, bar none!  And the worst part of it?  Even worse than watching you getting carried out?  It was that moment, when they put the guns to my head.  But you’ve got it all wrong, dammit!  It wasn’t the fact that I almost died that made it so bad, it was seeing the fight go out of you!  You let that piece of shit tie you up and take you away because of _me!_   Don’t you _dare_ try to blame yourself for them threatening me, because you let Breaker take you to save me!  And I have lived with the guilt of that and what I did to you in Oklahoma for almost a year now!”

            Adam’s face had gone stark white.  Out of the corner of his eye, Blake was aware that both One and Five had paused, their eyes fixed on the two of them.  But he didn’t care.  He forced himself to let Adam go, grabbing onto his beer just to have something to hold on to, and closed his eyes.  “When you came back, after Breaker kidnapped you?” he said quietly.  “I thought it was over.  I thought we could go forward, you and me together.  I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with you!  But then you were gone again, and I couldn’t come up with any reason other than all the stupid shit I’d done.  For fuck’s sake, I capped it all off by making you announce on national television that you were a rape victim!  So yeah, I thought I had it all figured out.  All this time, I’ve been nursing my broken heart, trying to heal and move on.  But I can’t.  All I had to do was see you there, standing in that doorway when Carson announced you, and it all came back like you’d never left.”

            “I'm not him!  I'm not Adam Levine, Blake.  I can't be him, not anymore.  I’m sorry.”  It was a whisper, almost lost in the noise of the bar.

            “Don’t be.  Just talk to me, ok?”

            Adam took a shaky breath.  “What did you want to talk about?”

            “I don’t know, how about what’s going on with you?  Ok, you're not Adam Levine anymore.  So how about letting me get to know who you are now?"  He fisted his hands and rubbed wearily at his eyes.  "Look, I know half the shit in your life now is classified, but what can you tell me?  How the hell did all this start, anyway?”

            “Well, the Company is international,” Adam began, seeming relieved at the change of subject.  “There's branches all over the world, but I actually have more trouble with the C word – Classified – than you do.  We work as operatives, and that's mainly a need to know basis.  Most of the time, we apparently don't need to know."

            "That sounds like it would make your job a bit harder."

            "You have no idea," Adam sighed.  The look on his face told Blake that this was a common complaint.  "Anyway, we represent a very specific subdivision.  What we normally do as operatives is go out and ascertain classification levels.  Hardwire, our data specialist, searches the world for certain things, people, and events.  And when they’re found, they’re classified by three levels: Safe, Containable, and Threat.  One showed you the ticket?”

            “Yeah?”

            “That’s an example of a Safe classification.  It falls into our jurisdiction because it defies a number of established laws of physics and would certainly turn the scientific community on its ear if it became widely known about.  But it doesn’t represent any actual potential for real harm to humanity or the environment.  Containable means there is a danger, but it’s controllable.  And Threat is, well, a threat.  You can also have mixtures, like a Containable Threat that is dangerous, but controlled so long as certain precautions are carried out, you know?”

            Blake nodded.  “Ok, with you so far.  You guys are basically Mulder and Scully.”

            "Dibs on being Mulder."

            "One is definitely Scully."

            "Oh, definitely!"  The two shared a smile.  “Anyway, what I was before, when I could only sense emotions?  I was classified Safe, too.  What I could do wasn't natural, but it wasn't actively harmful, either.  That’s why I was given so much freedom, why I was able to make my own choices about what I wanted to do.”

            “And you keep saying 'was.'  So what are you now?”

            Adam seemed fascinated by the label he was peeling off of his bottle.  “Contained Threat.”

            Blake blinked.  “Uh, what?”

            “Starting to get into that ‘classified’ territory again, buddy.”

            Blake rolled his eyes.  “Sorry.  So this Company contacted you because you’re an empath?”

            He nodded.  “Empaths are extremely rare.  I think they’ve only found three of us so far this century, and of the other two, one’s dead and the other’s insane.  So the Company contacted me and wanted me to come in, so they could study me, take DNA, do tests, that sort of thing.  You know, see what makes me tick?”

            “I get it, but it’s still scary.  How the hell did they even find you?” Blake asked.

            “They’ve got a pretty comprehensive search network with Hardwire.  The actual algorithm they use made my eyes roll back, so I’ll give you the short short version.  I fit certain parameters, so I was observed, and somewhere along the line I gave myself away.  I gotta tell you, nothing shocked me so much as that phone call, Unum telling me that he represents an international company and I was being contacted because I was an empath!  At least nothing shocked me so much until I told him he was crazy, hung up, turned around and he was standing behind me in my living room.”

            Blake’s eyes went very wide.

            “Don’t ask, that’s Unum for you,” Adam sighed.  “I can’t really tell you how that whole conversation went.  Classified.  But Unum runs the program that we’re part of, and he can be very convincing.  So that’s how I found out about the Company, and that they wanted me.  Obviously, I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a lab rat, but they promised me that, since I was classified as Safe, I would only be monitored, not confined.  I could come and go as I pleased, so long as I came in regularly and participated, you know, let them experiment on me a bit.”

            “That has obviously changed,” Blake commented, looking pointedly at the tracer bracelet on Adam’s wrist.  "Personally, I'd have that damned thing off in a heartbeat."

            Adam fiddled with the bracelet.  "I agree.  But I can't get it off."

            Blake sputtered.  "It's locked onto you?"

            "Yeah."  Adam's voice had gone quiet again.  "They're Safe level, same kind of tech as the tickets we get our orders from.  The runes on those tickets aren't really words.  They're more like EEG readings, thought patterns.  Unum's the only one who can take the tracers off because he put them on, and no one else knows what he thought about when he did it.  He can use them to bring us in, and we don't have a lot of choice in the matter.  And every time he brings us in, it's a huge hassle.  So trust me, I'd love to get mine off, but I can't.  This is one lock that can't be picked."

            Blake scowled.  "I cannot believe that shit!  They told you that you wouldn't be confined, then they locked a tracer onto you so they can track you down and drag you back whenever they want?  They lied to you!”

            But Adam was shaking his head.  “No, Unum doesn’t lie, at least not that I’ve ever caught him.  Some of the others at the Company would sell their own mothers to get ahead, but not Unum.  He's just about the project.  He’s a good guy, and he really goes out of his way to try to help me.  If everything had gone according to plan, I’d still have the tracer bracelet, because they had to track me.  But I never would have been forced to come in the way I was.” 

            "So what happened?  What went wrong, that everything shit the bed and you ended up threatened with a needle?"

            He snorted. “Someone got into Hardwire's files, someone looking specifically for empaths.  Must have been damned good, and damned determined, to get past Hardwire.  But that’s when the file on me was breached, and suddenly Unum shows up again, telling me that I’m in danger and I need to come in and, basically, go into witness protection.  I refused, said I needed to think it over.  And I almost waited too long.  Someone came after me that same day, Blake.  A bunch of people broke into my house, and if I hadn't sensed them?"  He shrugged.  "As it was, I was only just barely able to sneak out.  That's when I went to you, to Oklahoma, and just showed up without warning.  I wasn't just hanging out with you that weekend, I was hiding!  I ended up hiding right up until the day of the show.  And that’s where I was at.  That’s why I did what I did, Blake, the road trip.  Because I knew there was a chance that I might not see you again.”

            “I don’t get it,” Blake said.  “Ok, you’re an empath and the only one in the world, basically, but I don’t understand why someone like Breaker would come for you, especially the way he did!”

            “Because of what’s inside of me,” Adam said simply.  He glanced over at One, who had just yelled at an apparently overly-interested admirer.  But Miley was there, glaring daggers at the other woman, and Adam returned his attention to Blake.  “What I am is rare, and it’s what’s missing to complete the…”  He grimaced.  “Never mind, classified.  Ugh, hard to think straight.  I gotta lay off the hooch.”  He pushed his bottle away and rubbed at his eyes.  “Dammit, there is so much that I wish I could tell you, but I can’t!”

            “Can you tell me why you’re a Contained Threat?”

            “Because of what Breaker did to me.”

            Blake winced.  “Raping you?”

            Adam made a face.  “Ok, I get why you’re kind of fixated on that, but honestly, it’s tertiary.”

            “Tertiary?”  Blake gave him a flat stare.  “Rape is tertiary?”

            “He did a lot of things to me!  Raping me was just one of them, Blake.  The whole world seems to think I spent seven days as a sex slave, but he didn’t take me for sex, alright?  He…”  Adam suddenly paused, turning.  “Uh oh.  Here we go.  C’mon.”

            Blake looked and saw Five facing off with a larger, obviously drunk man.  The man was sneering down into Five’s face and jabbing his finger in the smaller man’s chest.  Five appeared to be just as drunk, but he bore it with an expression of supreme irritation, much as an adult would look at a misbehaving child.  Blake’s face was a thundercloud as he followed Adam over, ready to pound this idiot who had distracted Adam right when he was finally opening up.  Right now, Blake wasn’t entirely sure who he wanted to pound more, Five or the drunk.

            But Adam quickly had things under control.  He smoothly got between the man and Five and talked fast, somehow convincing the man that Five wasn’t really hitting on his girlfriend.  It helped that the girl in question, impressed that her boyfriend was about to fight for her, immediately returned to his side.  A moment later, the happy couple was moving off, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

            And that was when the commotion started.

            “You cheating bastard!”

            “I beg your pardon?”

            “No way you just made that shot!  You moved the cue while my back was turned, didn’t you?  C’mere, you little British piece of shit, I’m gonna snap you in half!”

            “Oh shit!”  Five and Adam exclaimed in unison, quickly moving to where One stood, looking outraged at the man who had just shoved him into a wall near one of the pool tables.  Miley shrieked and jumped on the man’s back, scratching away with her nails.  Adam pulled Miley back, and Five yanked the man off of One and tossed him like a rag doll over the pool table.  Miley immediately moved to reclaim One from another woman who was currently dragging him away from the scene.  Despite what his friends had claimed, One had clearly had more than a single drink.  The Englishman was swaying, looking around in a daze as if he wasn’t entirely sure where he was.  How he’d been managing to still win at pool was beyond Blake.  But now Miley had him again, and hopefully she wasn't about to get into a catfight over him.

            Meanwhile, Five casually walked around and jerked the man who had attacked One back up to his feet.  “Touch him again?” Five said calmly.  “And I will end you.”

            The man sneered.  “Better tell him to watch his mouth, then!”

            “He does the talking, but I do the walking,” Five told him.  “Do not touch him again.”

            “What?  Is the little bitch your boyfriend?”

            “Hey, easy!”  This was Adam, coming around and once again getting between Five and an intoxicated patron.

            “I know you,” the man slurred.  “You’re Adam Levine.  You’re the little faggot with that cowboy!”

            And now Blake was in the middle of it.  “You want to say that again?”

            The man said it again.  And a moment later he was hitting the floor, bounced by six and a half feet of righteous Oklahoma justice.

            Blake rolled around on the floor with the loudmouthed bigot, dimly aware that the asshole’s friends had dived into the fray.  But Blake had friends of his own.  Adam was there, swinging away, and of course, here was Five.  Five was literally throwing people off, but unfortunately he didn’t seem to care one bit about where they were landing.  A body crashed down into a table of jilted, lonely men who had already been giving Five dark looks.  It was the only invitation they needed.  All four dived onto Five.  And then one of the women who had been mooning after Five jumped on the back of one of the men, was promptly dragged off by another woman, and a screaming, clawing, hair pulling catfight broke out near the main brawl.

            Fists flew.  Bottles smashed.  Furniture splintered.

            Blake felt himself lifted up, and suddenly he was flying.  Unfortunately, he lacked the aerodynamics to maintain his thrilling new form of travel and quickly went down again, landing in a sprawl on the bar and sliding off behind it.  He heard a yell and got up in time to catch Adam in the chest as the smaller man was thrown back to join him.  Both went down, crashing into the wall behind the bar.  Blake groaned.  “I am too old for this shit!”

            “Me too,” Adam grunted.  “Back out?”

            “After you.”

            Grinning widely, the two charged out and back into the fray.

****

            “Damn!  Now that was some fun!” Five announced.  “Best night out I’ve had in years!”

            “You,” Blake declared, “are an asshole.”

            “I know!”  Five beamed.

            Blake laughed despite the pain.  His jaw was badly bruised and rapidly swelling, as was his right eye.  His lower lip was spit and oozed blood.  In fact, he pretty much hurt all over.  Meanwhile Five, who had apparently taken on half the honkey tonk, didn’t have so much as a scratch.  He was humming as he wobbled unsteadily around in the cell, looking for all the world like he was out on a field trip instead of behind bars.

            Adam scowled from the floor in the corner, having largely given up on trying to walk.  Blake had thought earlier that he might be getting a shiner, but oddly enough, it appeared to be nearly healed.  Adam was otherwise also annoyingly unmarked.  “We are in so much trouble!” he groaned.

            “No we’re not!” Five corrected.  “That asshole called you a faggot, and Blake defended you.  It was a hate crime, and self-defense!”

            Adam gave him a dubious look.  “And how about the guy you threw through the plate glass window?”

            “Same thing!  Self-defense!”

            “And the cop that you tossed over the bar when they came to arrest us?”

            Five rubbed his chin, looking puzzled.  “I don’t remember doing that.”

            “You did,” Adam sighed.  “Trust me, you did.  Right after that guy who looked like ZZ Top smashed the pool cue over your head.”

            “Oh, that asshole,” Five recalled, snapping his fingers.  “Still don’t remember throwing the cop, though.”

            “I honestly don’t remember that, either,” Blake confessed.  “People were flying everywhere at the end there.  I didn’t even realize the cops were there until they were snapping the cuffs on me.”  He frowned.  “Uh, why isn’t One in here with us?”

            “Because Miley dragged him out back when the fight started,” Adam reported.  “By the time the cops got there, they were long gone.”

            Blake blinked.  “What?  But he started this whole thing!”

            “Oi, and the guv’ner’s done buggered off, ‘e ‘as!” Five called in a bad cockney accent.

            “It’s not like that,” Adam grumbled.  He appeared to be half asleep now and was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.  “Miley must be stronger than she looks.  Last I saw One, he was clinging to the back door and she was trying to drag him out to the parking lot.  Then I got punched in the face and was distracted for a bit.  Next time I looked up, he was gone.”  He shrugged.  “No idea where she took him.  I was kind of occupied at the time.  But hey, at least he was out of the fight and didn’t get arrested.  Sorting out his visa status when we run into legal trouble is always a huge pain in the ass.  Bastard.”

            “Oh, that’s great, isn’t it?”  Blake called.  “We’re in jail, and One’s out on the town.”  He sighed.  “You guys know a good lawyer?”

            “We know the Company, and I already called Unum,” Adam replied.  “You have no idea how much pull they have.  Unum will have us out soon, and I’m betting there won’t even be a record.  One’s the one I’m a bit worried about, to be honest.  We can't contact him, and Miley was not taking no for an answer back there!”

            “Good for her!” Five cheered.  “About time he got a little action.”

            “So, we’ll get out of here, but One’s been abducted by Miley Cyrus?”  Blake shook his head, chuckling.  “Damned kids!  I cannot wait to hear what happens there!”

            “You guys, I’m seriously worried,” Adam insisted.  “Five, you know how he is!  Besides, what if their positions had been reversed?  It’s not really funny just because he’s a guy!  She basically kidnapped him back there!”

            Five scoffed.  “She’s all of five foot five and weighs about a buck ten soaking wet!  If she bothers him too much, he’ll just walk out.  I’m actually surprised he let her take him, to be honest.  But you’re right, I mean, forcing him out the door wasn’t cool.”

            “I’m a little concerned she might trigger him, brother,” Adam pressed.  "And I'm not there to help him, am I?"

            Five sighed.  “Well, not much we can do about it right now, Seven.  He’ll be alright.  Baby brother’s got a cool head on his shoulders.”

            “Well, he looked a bit hammered, to be honest,” Blake said.

            The other two blinked at him, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.  “You were seeing things, Blake!” Adam scoffed.  “One, hammered?  Never happen!"

            "Worst case scenerio, she drags him off to some love nest and we never see him again," Five joked.  "But even then, he’s got a tracer.  Besides, she’s cute, and nothing like Cecelia.  Might be exactly what our brother needs!"  He clapped his hands together, looking pleased.  "Good on Miley if she pops that cherry!  One needs surgery to get the stick out of his ass.”

            “I still don’t like that whole tracer business!” Blake exclaimed.  “I get that you guys work for some super-secret bullshit international Company and deal with shit that defies the laws of physics, but that’s just way too Big Brother that they’re watching you that much.”

            “That’s their job, Blake,” Adam said simply.  “They track everything with a Safe or higher level.”

            “And I still don’t get why you're considered a Contained Threat!”

            “That’s because…  Wait, that’s classified!”  Five scowled at Adam.  “Seven, between you and One, you’re going to end up putting Blake under a microscope!”

            “I know, I know!” Adam groaned.  He rubbed his temples and grimaced.

            Then, to Blake’s alarm, they both cried out and doubled over, clutching their heads.  “I can’t bloody _think!”_ they yelled in unison.  And then, as quickly as the odd attack had come, it was gone, and neither of them seemed to even realize it had happened.  Blake cocked an eyebrow.  What the hell had just happened there?

            Adam groaned again and cradled his head in his hands.  “Dammit, Five, something’s wrong.  I don’t know what, but something is wrong!  I cannot believe how fucking _smashed_ I am, dude.  I think someone put something in my drink.”

            “Actually…  I think someone got me, too,” Five confessed, shamefaced.  “I swear I only had a couple of drinks, but, yeah, I feel like I closed out the bar.”

            Blake looked from one to the other.  The two certainly looked drunk, but he’d been with Adam the entire time, and he’d only seen Adam drink two beers and a shot of tequila, total.  He didn’t see how anyone could have spiked Adam’s drink.  But both he and Five were swaying and slurring far beyond what they should have been for how much they’d both consumed.

            But now their attention was diverted by the arrival of one of LAPD’s finest, trailed by a man in an expensive-looking suit and dark glasses.  “You three are free to go,” the officer announced.  For some reason, Blake thought the officer looked very unhappy about it.  “Go home and sleep it off, and don’t pull any more crap tonight.  Damned celebrities get away with everything!”

            “I know, right?” Five sighed dramatically.  “They’re such drama queens!”

            “Gentlemen?”  It was the man in the suit, apparently a lawyer.  “We are leaving.”  He shook his head, running a hand over his thinning blonde hair and looking disgusted as he strode into the cell.  “Dammit, my Seven!” he exclaimed, pulling Adam to his feet.  “I swear, you are going to be the death of me!”  And then he cradled Adam’s face between his hands, leaned in, and kissed him.

            Adam didn’t seem to be kissing him back, but he certainly didn’t resist either, holding still and passively allowing both the kiss and the man's arms around him, pulling him close.  Stunned, Blake looked at Five, saw the apology and chagrin in his blue eyes, and suddenly it was more clear than ever why things were so awkward now between himself and Adam.

            But honestly, what did he expect?  He’d had his chance a year ago, and he’d let it slip through his fingers.

            Someone like Adam couldn’t be expected to wait forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song at the end is "Just A Fool" by Christina Aguileria and our own Blake Shelton!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH6Mo4rDbNE
> 
> *gets on riot gear* Bring it on.


	9. Miley the Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miley Cyrus, actress, singer, vocal coach, hero! Too bad One doesn't want to be saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may sound mad for most, but sometimes your characters surprise the hell out of you when you write them. Happened with Miley here, as I did not see this ending the way it did!
> 
> Songs I had playing for this part:  
> "At Last" by Etta James for the first part  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-cbOl96RFM
> 
> "Hero" by Mariah Carey for the second part  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLFfXTwdVbY

            Miley Cyrus was a hero!

            One snored softly from the passenger seat next to her, oblivious of her exalted status.  But he’d find out soon enough.  The thought of how the handsome young dancer might reward her for her heroism made her heart pound.  It was crazy how badly she wanted to spend time with him, get to know him, maybe start a relationship?  But he was constantly with the other two guys, and now Blake had to get his big dumb country self involved.  What did a girl have to do to attract the attention of a good-looking and hopefully as available as he appeared guy?

            Save him, apparently.

            Miley smiled at One, chuckling as the car bumped over the pavement and produced a louder snore.  At least he’d fallen asleep again.  When she’d first gotten him into the car and he kept trying to climb back out, Miley had given serious consideration to throwing him into the trunk.  But the simple act of fastening his seatbelt, pulling it snugly around him, and reclining his seat had put an end to it.  Sure, he’d still caused trouble.  Even though his eyes had closed almost immediately, One had still spent much of the trip pulling on the shoulder strap or pushing on the window, insisting that she stop and let him out.  She had no idea what was going through his head.  Where would he go if she simply pulled over and let him out, in his condition?  But lucky for her, he was apparently far too out of it right now to manage the buckle of the seatbelt.  And as long as he was reclined, he kept falling asleep.

            Another bump in the road caused the car to jerk, and One’s eyes blinked open.  He looked around.  He was in a car, and the car was in motion.  It was also especially cheeky, giggling telepathically at him.  Odd, he’d never known inanimate objects to have thoughts before, but they certainly seemed to now.  His head was spinning.  But then he understood.  The car was laughing at him because it was taking him away.  His innate awareness of his brothers had them falling further and further behind.

            Miley shook her head as One gasped, pulling at the shoulder belt with one hand and pushing against the window with the other.  “Stop!  Let me out!” he slurred for the umpteenth time.

            “Shh, just lay back,” she said softly, reaching over to gently stroke his hair.  That seemed to work best to calm him.  Sure enough, his hands dropped limply to his sides as he turned to face her.  “You're safe now,” she soothed, “and we’re almost there.”

            “Where are you taking me?” he mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open.  “Let me out, would you, there’s a mate!”

            “I'm gonna take you to my place and let you sleep this off.  It’s not much farther.”

            “No, just let me out.  I’ll walk back.”

            “Sure you will,” Miley chuckled, rolling her eyes as she continued to stroke his hair.  “Just rest, One.  Close your eyes.  There you are!”

            Once again, his face smoothed out, becoming peaceful and calm as he slept.  She congratulated herself yet again on the genius idea of reclining his seat.  That had done wonders.  He’d stopped fighting and had been asleep in no time.

            Whatever had been in his drink was apparently potent.

            Looking back, Miley supposed she should have realized there was something off about the black haired bitch at the honky tonk.  The woman had looked old enough to be One’s mother, and probably from late in her reproductive life.  But her dark, calculating eyes had been locked onto One from the moment he’d walked in.  Or at least that was what the bitch had told Miley when the dumb old hag had confronted the pop singer in the ladies’ room, wanting her to back off of One.  As if!  As if One would be interested in some old grandma.  As if seeing One come in prior to Miley’s arrival had given the cougar any rights to him, or as if it wasn’t flat-out pathetic how she was getting next to no acknowledgement from the much younger man.  Most of all, as if Miley would ever back off of a hot guy she had her eyes on because some desperate old skank made mouth noises at her.  Miley had come in wearing a new outfit that displayed her flat abdomen, her hair and make-up refreshed, and she knew she looked smoking hot.  She’d turned every head in the bar when she’d strutted in, including One’s, and she had no intention of leaving without him.  And that was precisely what she’d told the foul-breathed harpy.

            And now look who was going home with her!  Take that, bitch!

            Of course, the circumstances could have been better.  Miley had spent enough time in clubs to recognize that One had been roofied.  She was sure it was the black haired bitch who had done the deed if for no other reason than that she’d seen the wrinkled old bag pushing One’s drink at him.  As far as Miley had seen, One had only had a single pint of beer the entire evening, and had downed it pretty much in one go after Five kept pestering him about it.  That was probably why the drug had hit him so fast.  One apparently had never spent much time in clubs.  He’d taken no precautions at all, leaving his drink on a table or the windowsill and turning his back on it as he took his shots at the pool table.  It was like he was oblivious to his own safety!  The bitch could have drugged his drink any time before Miley got there to keep an eye on him.

            Or while she was signing autographs.

            Or while she was getting her own drink, or going to the bathroom, or flirting with the bartender, or listening to Five talk about playing cowboy on his uncle’s ranch and being in rodeos…

            Whatever.  All Miley knew was that the black haired bitch was up in her face over One right after he’d finally downed his drink, and had been a pest ever since.  Every time Miley left his side for a moment, the bitch was there, practically draping herself over him, trying desperately to get his attention.  The skag had even managed to drag One out for a dance near the end while Miley was distracted by Five’s story, something Miley hadn’t been able to manage.  But that was when she’d become suspicious.  Until then, One had ruled the billiards, winning game after game and collecting a decent pot in the process.  Then, just before Black Haired Bitch had pulled him away, One had missed several easy shots that nearly cost him the match.

            Miley had been pleased to note that One clearly didn’t enjoy his dance with Black Haired Bitch.  He looked acutely uncomfortable with how she clung to him and pressed her body brazenly against his slender dancer’s form.  In fact, he’d spent the entire time trying to politely tell her he was flattered, but not interested while shooting long pleading looks at Five or Seven and being ignored by them both.  Then, when One had finally decided he'd had enough and had resorted to physically pushing her away from him, the bitch had thrown her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him.  He’d quickly pulled away, yelled at her to leave him alone, and stalked angrily back to the tables, and, by default, Miley.  Miley had been quick to reclaim him, slipping her arm through his and giving a deathglare to Black Haired Bitch, who had wisely backed off.  That had earned her a surprised look and a smile of thanks from One, which made Miley feel warm and fuzzy all over. 

            But now it was clear that something was wrong.  When she’d first arrived, he’d been cool and confident, flipping his tie over his shoulder when he bent over the pool table, moving with that natural dancer’s grace that drove her wild to line up his body for the shot.  He’d been so damned sexy that Miley could barely keep her hands off of him!  Now, though, he was slurring, his usual grace was all but gone, and his pupils were already wild.  And there was Black Haired Bitch, watching him with predatory glee as he’d stumbled, leaned heavily on the table or the wall, and blinked his increasingly unfocused eyes.

            That was when Miley knew that the handsome Brit was badly in need of a hero!

            Miley had also noticed the short, whispered conversation that had taken place between Black Haired Bitch and the man who had attacked One.  Sure, One had made an amazing triple bank shot, but the way he’d stumbled when he’d made the shot made her wonder if it had been more luck than skill.  Even so, the bitch’s crony had come up with a laughable reason to attack One.  But then it was hero time, and Miley was on the asshole’s back ready to kick some ass before Five, Blake, and Seven had even gotten involved.

            Ironic.  All three men had come to defend One when he was threatened by a man.  But only Miley had noticed the real threat.  Black Haired Bitch had made a beeline for One as soon as he was loose and everyone else was distracted.  By now, the lovely British dancer was obviously very much under the influence.  He didn’t seem to know what to do when Black Haired Bitch took his arm and started pulling him away.  All he'd done was blink at her in confusion and frown as he’d stumbled after her.  In another moment, he might have been gone!

            But Miley had no intention of letting that happen.  She’d charged after the bitch and thrown her arms around One protectively, fully prepared to knock the cougar’s tobacco stained teeth right down her wrinkled old throat.  “Let go of him,” she’d snarled.  “Now!”

            Apparently, Miley’s willingness to do violence to defend One showed.  Black Haired Bitch had glared at her and backed off.

            One was looking at Miley curiously, not seeming to understand what was happening.  She’d smiled at him.  “It’s ok,” she soothed, gently carding his hair.  “I’ll protect you.”

            One looked surprised, but it seemed he liked her touch.  His confused eyes softened and his head tilted, leaning towards her hand.

            Then the asshole who’d pushed One made a homophobic slur against Seven, Blake had responded appropriately (she was so proud of him!), and suddenly it seemed like the whole bar was fighting.  Miley was quick to spot Black Haired Bitch, hanging out nearby, watching for her chance.  Something told Miley that the instant she left One’s side, Black Haired Bitch would be on him, and his idiot friends were too busy rolling around in a bar brawl to even notice.  The poor guy was in real danger!

            It was obviously time to make a heroic exit.

            Unfortunately, One made a lousy damsel in distress.  She supposed it was a guy thing, wanting to dive into the fray when your Goodbuddies were mixing it up despite being roofied out of your mind.  But Blake was as big as a house, and Five was apparently as strong as a horse.  Even Seven looked like he was kicking some ass.  One was the only one who was in danger, and Miley tried to explain that to him as she’d dragged him off.  Yet he’d fought her every step of the way, straining to reach the fight despite the fact that he could barely walk, pushing and prying her hands away, even clinging to the door when she'd pulled him through it.  “Stop pulling on me!  Leave me alone!” he’d yelled.  “Oi, mates, steady on, I’m coming!”

            Miley pulled hard.  “One, you are in serious danger right now and I have got to get you out of here!  Let go!”

            One clung stubbornly to the door.  He understood that something was wrong.  His head was spinning, and his strength seemed somehow sapped.  But he didn’t understand why this woman kept on him, insisting he was in danger from someone called Black Haired Bitch.  Why wouldn’t she let him go to his brothers?  Wait, had she said something about getting him out of here?  “Leave off!” he exclaimed.  “I’m not going anywhere with you!”

            She still wouldn’t let him go, but for the moment, it was a stalemate as he held to the door, keeping her from dragging him further outside.  When one of her arms left his waist, One thought she’d finally given up.  But then the missing arm snaked around his neck and gently pulled.  She was choking him!  One immediately let go of the door and quickly pried her arm away.  She let go of his neck, only to wrap both arms around him again.  The whole time, she’d never stopped pulling on him.  And One quickly realized that she’d succeeded in dragging him out into the parking lot.  Furious, he dug in his heels, pulling at her hands.  “How dare you choke me?” he yelled.

            “Sorry, hon, I didn’t hurt you, did I?  But I had to get you off that door somehow, and that’s the fastest way I know to pry off a clingy drunk!”

            “You’re a madwoman!  Take your hands off of me!”

            “Calm down, One.  Look, my car’s right there.  Let’s get you out of here.”

            “What?”  That finally got through to One.  Bad enough he'd been pulled out into the darkness away from his brothers, but this was too much!  He considered knifing the woman, but that would violate mission parameters.  Or would it?  He wasn’t entirely sure any longer exactly what his mission parameters were.  This woman was familiar.  Was she part of his mission?  If that was the case, he couldn’t do her any actual physical harm until he got clear orders on her status.  Until then, he had no idea what to do.  For some reason, he didn’t seem to have any strength, and his normally solid, rational head for strategy was completely betraying him, overwhelmed by the combination of drugs, telepathic noise, and the chaos from the bar.  The end result was that he wasn’t doing anything more than weakly flailing around as she guided him, stumbling, through the parking lot.  He tried again to reach his brothers, but couldn’t seem to focus his senses.  Something was clearly very, very wrong.

            Meanwhile, she was pulling him towards a waiting vehicle.  To his horror, he realized that she intended to force him into it, take him away from his brothers.  That could not happen!

            One struggled with all that was left of his feeble strength, desperate to keep her from dragging him into the car.  “Let me go!  Let me _go!_ ” he yelled, starting to panic.  “Brothers!  Help me!”

            Miley shushed him.  “It’s ok!  I’m not gonna hurt you, but I’ve got to get you safe before that bitch comes out here with reinforcements!  Dammit, One, would you please stop fighting?  I am trying to save you here!"

            “No, let me go!”

            It was not a promising start to her new career as a hero, having the person she was trying to rescue call her a madwoman while squirming and struggling so hard that, weak as he was, it was all she could do to hold him.  She tried again to warn him about Black Haired Bitch, but he didn’t seem to understand.  For a moment, she'd despaired that she might actually have to let go of him and get help.  That would be bad, considering Black Haired Bitch already had proven herself capable of enlisting allies of her own and all of Miley’s friends were in the middle of a bar fight.  But in the end, it was Miley to the rescue when he rapidly wore himself out with his wild struggling, sagged, and nearly collapsed in the parking lot.  If she hadn’t been there, the bitch could have simply scooped him up and dragged him off.  Instead, Miley had shoved One into her car just as his legs gave out, noting with no real surprise that the Black Haired Bitch had come outside and was seething as she watched.  Buckling him in and putting his seat back largely ended his struggles.  And a minute later, she was driving away, leaving Black Haired Bitch alone in the cold with a fine view of Miley's middle finger out the window and her mocking laughter as a goodbye present.

            She’d saved him!

            Miley thought she deserved a medal, but she’d settle for a date with the grateful, mysterious and exotic young man she’d just rescued from the claws of the Black Haired Bitch.  If it hadn’t been for her, who knew what could have happened to him?

            Of course, she’d have to wait until he sobered up to get him to understand any of that.

            Getting One into the building once they’d arrived at her place proved harder than she’d thought.  He’d awakened easily enough, and had cooperated with her getting him out of the car.  But then, for some odd reason, he seemed determined to head across the street.  Once again, she’d had to drag him back.  "No, One, it's this way!"

            “Stop pulling me away!” One groaned, slapping weakly at her arms.  What was wrong with this woman?  For some reason, he simply could not get her to understand.  He strained, reaching futilely in the direction he could sense his brothers lay.   “My brothers!  They’re that way, why won’t you let me go to them?”

            “Shh, honey, there is nothing over there but a big empty field,” she explained.

            “Why’d you take me here?” he complained, slurring and squirming again.  “Leave me alone, you barmy cow!”

            Now that was downright insulting!  “For your information, I just saved your life!” she announced dramatically.  “That old ugly bitch at the bar, remember her?  Long stringy black hair and foul breath, looked like Morticia Adams got hit by a truck?”

            He frowned.  “Pulled me to dance and tried to snog me?”

            “Right!  She drugged you!”

            “Huh?  Drugged me?”  One’s grey eyes were only half open, and didn’t seem to be able to focus.  He was weak and confused, still trying to go across the street, and clung to the doorway when Miley tried to push him into the house.  “Stop!  I have to go to my brothers!”

            “Honey, you can’t go.  You can barely stand,” Miley explained patiently, prying his hands off the doorway.  “Your brothers will be fine.  Let’s just worry about you.  I don’t know where you guys are staying, but you’re in no shape to go anywhere anyhow.  You’re staying here with me tonight, ok?”

            “No!  You’re not keeping me here!”

            “You’ll thank me in the morning, One.  And don’t worry.  Unlike certain other people, I won’t do anything funny!  Now let go of the door.  That’s it.”

            She managed to get him through the door, kicking it shut behind them.  He flailed, trying to reach it again as she pushed him further inside.  He was very weak now.  This last struggle appeared to have sapped his remaining strength.  He stumbled, went down on his hands and knees, and Miley felt the strain in her back as she pulled him back to his feet.  Being a hero was hard work.  One owed her a back massage in the morning.

            One had no clear idea of what was happening.  He didn’t know how he’d gotten here, but he knew that his brothers weren’t there.  Not good.  Worse, he couldn’t seem to reach out to them.  He could vaguely recall some sort of altercation, something he probably should be concerned about.  But he was lost, drowning in the rush of telepathic noise that roared through his head, random thoughts and dreams battering at his senses until he wanted to curl into a ball and scream for it to stop.  He couldn’t focus.  Even the walls were screaming gibberish at him.  And the woman, the madwoman who would not let him go was moving him again, dragging him further in where he did not want to go.  He tried again to focus on her, to push her to let go of him, but control simply slipped out of his reach.  Desperate, the telepath tried again to reach out to his brothers.  This time, he managed to touch them despite the drugs.  But that just brought on even more telepathic noise as his brothers’ senses joined in with the general roar already in his head.  One cried out in frustration, gripping his head as pain jolted through it.  “I can’t bloody _think!_ ” he yelled, shutting them back out.

            “You don’t have to think.  Just pick your feet up, come on, just a little further.  You owe me a very expensive meal, mister!” the woman grunted, forcing him down the hall.

            She was familiar, but he didn’t care who she was.  All he knew was that she still had him, was still not letting him go to his brothers, and why wasn’t Five helping him?  Why wasn’t Seven stepping in to calm her down?  For that matter, why wasn’t he helping himself?  She had her arms wrapped around him now, trapping his arms at his sides, trying to keep him from grabbing onto things to impede her progress.  But One knew half a dozen ways to free himself.  Didn’t he?  For some reason, he couldn’t think of a single one.

            Meanwhile, the infuriating bird simply dragged him on, further away from his brothers with every step.  Try as he might, he couldn’t stop her.  Physically, he was built much like Seven, who could and did borrow his clothes, usually without permission.  At six feet tall, he loomed over her and should have easily been able to free himself.  But it was as if all the strength had vanished from his body.  He looked back, turning his head in the direction he knew his brothers lay and tried again to go to them.

            Miley growled in irritation as he tried to turn himself around in her arms, this time heading straight towards the stairs.  “No way!  You’ll fall and break your neck!”

            “Why won’t you let go of me?” he groaned.

            “Look, you’ll thank me in the morning after you sleep this off.  Whatever that bitch gave you, it must have been one hell of a dose!”

            The woman dragged him forward a few more steps, heaved, and One fell face first into something pink, fluffy, and soft.  She finally let go of him, threw his legs up, and then rolled him onto his back.  The world spun in lazy circles.  He quickly sank into the softness.  “Just a kip,” he mumbled as his eyes closed.

            And then he was softly snoring once again.

            Miley put her hands on her lower back and stretched, wincing as something popped in her spine.  That felt better now.  Who knew how hard being a hero was on the back?  But of course, it was worth it.  Just look at how adorable One looked, lying there on the pink comforter of the guest bed, tie askew, hair mussed, and one arm dangling over the edge of the bed.  She pulled out her phone and quickly snapped a picture, giggling as she e-mailed it to Alicia.  Then she sat next to him on the bed, sighed, and carded her fingers through his hair.  No response.  His hair was thick, the chestnut locks silky.  He had long eyelashes, like a girl’s.  Asleep, he actually looked pretty.  Miley brushed her fingertips over his lips.  He gave a small hum and turned his face away, not opening his eyes.  Ok, fine, he was pretty far gone.  Best to let him sleep, then.  Now to get him comfortable.  Miley pulled off his shoes and his tie and was tugging his belt free when the grey eyes opened, blinking drowsily.  Then he stirred, tried to get up.  “No!” she scolded, pushing him back down.

            He gave a small cry of protest and tried to roll over.  "Oi!  Don't hold me down!"

            Miley rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder, rolling him onto his back again.  “I said no!  You can’t get up, One, you’ll just end up on the floor.”  Holding him with one hand, she pulled his belt loose with the other.

            His eyes had closed again, but he still pushed at her.  “What are you doing to me?  Leave me alone!”

            Miley easily held him down with one hand.  “Would you please calm down?  I’m not gonna jump you, One, I’m just trying to get you comfortable!  Ugh, what the hell did that crazy bitch think was going to happen once she drugged you this much?  You are so out of it, it’s getting scary!”

            He swatted at her.  “Let me up!  Daft bint!”

            Her blue eyes narrowed.  “Ok, mister, I am just about ready to tie you to this bed if you don’t…  _Holy shit!”_

            One’s eyes had suddenly opened wide, and were blazing with green light.  He flailed wildly, straining to get up.  Miley had to grab his arms to keep from being hit.  Weak as he was from whatever drug was in his system, she could barely hold him.  “No!” he was yelling.  “Don’t!”

            “What the _fuck,_ One, your eyes!”

            One suddenly went still.  He was panting and shaking, his still glowing eyes staring past Miley at something that apparently only he could see.  “I’m not going anywhere!”  His voice was so full of fear that Miley’s jaw dropped.  “Don’t tie me down!  Please, I’m not going anywhere!  I’m not going anywhere!”

            “Hey, hey!  I wasn’t serious!”

            “I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled again.  The green light was fading from his eyes.  They were returning to their usual gray again, but they seemed to be clouding over, the drug in his system taking over once more.

            “It’s ok, baby,” she soothed.  She lifted his hands and gently kissed his knuckles before letting them rest at his sides.  “You’re safe now.  Go to sleep.  I'll protect you.”

            His eyes finally seemed to focus on her.  “Please don’t hurt me,” he whispered.

            “I won’t.”  Miley stroked his hair, and once again, it seemed to calm him.  Lucky find, that he liked being petted.  It was certainly helpful information to know.  “It’s ok.  Just go to sleep, I’m right here.”

            His head tilted, leaning again towards her touch.  Then his eyes closed, and a moment later his body relaxed back into sleep.

            Miley watched him for a long moment, wondering what had just happened.  He’d obviously gone into some kind of panic attack.  His eyes glowing green had been scary as hell, but maybe that explained what he was doing with Seven?  They seemed to have the same weird thing.  Maybe whatever it was that made his eyes glow was reacting with whatever that bitch had put into his drink?  It would explain why he was so out of it.  What had she given him, acid?  For a moment, Miley considered calling an ambulance.  But that might just make him freak out again.  No, she decided, she could take care of him.  She’d keep him here tonight and keep an eye on him, camp out on the love seat in here.  Then in the morning, once he sobered up, the two of them would have a long talk.

            But first, she needed to get him settled in.  And he'd certainly be more comfortable without his shirt!  Humming softly to herself, she undid the buttons on his right sleeve.  That was when she noticed the scars.  Twisting scars circled his wrist, and she discovered identical scars on his other wrist.  Frowning, she checked his ankles, discovering identical scars here, too.  Ok, those looked way too much like rope burns.  Maybe One was a bondage freak?  But the way he’d panicked when she’d joked about tying him to the bed made that seem very unlikely.  She pushed up the sleeve of his shirt, noting more scars.  Then she quickly unbuttoned his shirt.

            “Oh, poor baby, what has someone done to you?”

            She hadn’t meant to yell out, but the shock of what she was seeing, the sheer volume of the scars that covered One’s torso, had caught her off guard.  Once again, his eyes blinked open.  His hands came up, pushing her hands away.  “Leave me alone,” he groaned.

            “I don’t think so!  Who did this to you?  What is going on?  Is someone still hurting you, One?  Tell me!”  Miley pushed his hands aside and pulled his shirt open, staring in horror at his chest and abdomen.  There were narrow cut-like scars, thicker scars, and small round scars the size of a fingertip that could only be cigarette burns.  She’d never seen so much evidence of horrendous abuse in all her life, and it sickened her.  He gave a cry of protest, trying to push her away and pull his shirt closed again.  But Miley would have none of it.  She pushed his shirt back over his right shoulder and caught sight of something on his upper arm.  A short struggle got his arm out of the shirt, revealing the number one branded into his bicep.  She traced the number with a shaking hand.  “What the hell?  Is this why you call yourself One?  Do the other two have brands like this?”

            “All seven,” he mumbled.  He was still pushing at her, even though his eyes were once again closed.  “Leave off of me!”

            Miley stubbornly pulled his shirt free.  And that was when she saw the letters carved into his flesh just beneath his left collarbone.  She froze, staring in horror at the name.  “One?” she called.  “Did _Breaker_ do this?  Did he take you, too, the way he took Adam?  Did he…  One, did Breaker take _all three of you?_ "

            He mumbled something, consciousness fading again.  But she thought she could figure out what he’d said.  _All seven._

****

            “Get off of me.”

            One’s deep voice rumbled against Miley’s ear as she lay with her head on his chest.  She hummed, wrapping her arms tighter around him as she faded back into sleep.

            “Get off of me!”

            Her sleepy blue eyes blinked open.  There was One, looking upset, face turned away from her.  “Hey, good morning!” she called, smiling.  She reached up towards his hair.

            He angrily brushed her hand away.  “Get off of me, Miss Cyrus!  I won’t ask again!”

            “Whoa, ok, you’re welcome,” she grumbled, sitting up.  “I saved you last night after someone drugged you!  Do you even remember anything from the bar last night?”

            “At present, I find myself far more concerned that I cannot recall anything from this room last night!” he said sharply.  “Why am I here, where are my clothes, and what have you done?”

            Oh yeah.  She hadn’t managed to finish getting ready for bed last night and was currently in her bra and panties, lying on top of One dressed only in his underwear.  It probably did not look good, but honestly!  She sputtered indignantly.  “Dude!  You’ve got completely the wrong idea, but whatever.  Your stuff’s right there on the table.  Why the hell do you have so many knives?  You had, like, five on you!”

            One sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, grabbing for his belongings.  Miley had noticed the scars that covered his strong dancer's legs last night, but now she sucked in her breath, eyeing the scars on his back.  Long thick ropes of scars traveled up and down his back, clumped together at the base of his spine and branching out over his shoulders.  She winced, reaching out a hand to trace the scars.  “Baby, what happened to you?”

            He froze at her touch.  “Don’t touch me!  Why did you undress me?”

            “Because you were completely out of it and I was trying to make you comfortable,” she replied, remembering to be indignant again as she jerked her hand back.  “Relax, I left your undies on and I didn’t even peek!”

            “You had no business doing that!” he snapped.  “I don’t even remember how I got here, so it seems highly unlikely I was capable of giving consent.  Under no circumstance should you have stripped me down to my pants and slept with me!  Whatever was going through your head?”

            “Ok, first off, I didn’t sleep with you, I just fell asleep,” she defended.  “Nothing happened, ok?”

            The sigh of relief he gave made her bristle.

            “Whatever!” she exclaimed.  “I don’t have to drug guys to get them to sleep with me, ok?  You were seriously messed up last night, but I’m not the kind of girl that would have taken advantage of you!  I took your clothes off because I was trying to make you comfortable.  But once I got you in, I started getting cleaned up and ready for bed and I heard you crying!”

            With his back to her, she couldn’t see his face.  But he’d frozen, and his shoulders had gone suddenly stiff.

            Miley twiddled her thumbs.  “You weren’t awake, like, your eyes were closed.  I guess you were dreaming.   But you kept repeating ‘I’m not going anywhere’ and begging someone not to hurt you.  The whole time you were just sobbing your eyes out.  So I climbed in with you, pretty much as I was at the time, and held you until you stopped crying.  I didn’t plan on falling asleep,” she continued.  “I was just trying to comfort you.  But after you calmed down, it was so nice just snuggling with you, and next thing I know, here we are.”  She hunched her shoulders, wrapping her arms around herself.  “Sorry, One.  I guess that was pretty weird, waking up in a strange bed in your underwear with me lying half naked on your chest, huh?”

            He stayed still for a moment longer.  Then he returned to dressing.

            Miley felt awkward as the silence dragged on.  She quickly told him the story of last night and how she’d saved him from the Black Haired Bitch.  She made certain to stress that she’d been trying to protect him.  But he said nothing, sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed with his back to her once he’d dressed, letting her chatter until she suddenly had nothing else to say.  She knew her intentions were good, but in the cold light of day, her actions seemed strongly questionable.  She’d basically, no, she’d flat-out kidnapped One!  He’d certainly not wanted to go with her.  How many times had he asked her to let him go, told her he wanted to go back to his brothers, only for her to physically force him into her guest bedroom?  Everyone at the honkey tonk had seen him struggling to get away from her as she’d dragged him out.  For heaven’s sake, she’d actually choked him a little to get him to let go of the door!  What the hell had she been thinking?  What if the police were already looking for her?  Miley cringed, picturing the headlines.  POP STAR ABDUCTS FELLOW VOICE COACH TO LOVE NEST!  BRITISH GOVERNMENT UP IN ARMS OVER KIDNAPPED BALLET DANCER!  FORMER DISNEY STAR BEHIND BARS!

            “Thank you,” he said quietly.  “If you hadn’t been there to help me, I can only imagine what might have become of me.  Ta.”

            She blinked, barked a harsh bray of nervous laughter.  “Hey, you know, no problem!  What are friends for, right?”

            He didn’t answer.  He got to his feet, gingerly testing his balance.  Satisfied he was good to stand, he turned and looked at Miley.  “I would much appreciate it, Miss Cyrus, if you could perhaps arrange for my return to Mr. Shelton’s residence?  I must meet back up with my brother.”

            “Sure, let me get dressed and I’ll drive you.”  Miley wasn’t stupid.  She hadn’t missed the way One had said “brother” rather than “brothers.”  Between that and the look in his eyes, she knew that something was wrong.  The cool confidence she'd become used to in his sexy grey eyes was gone.  He looked very young, very alone, and almost…  Scared?  That worried her.  She was dressed and back out in five minutes flat, keys in hand.  “Um, you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

            “No, just please take me back.  Cheers.”

            As he turned towards the door, she ran up and grabbed his arm.  “One?” she began.  “Someone hurt you, and I need to know.  Is someone still hurting you?”

            He didn’t answer.

            Miley licked her lips, not sure how to go forward.  “Listen.  No one has scars like you do without going through some really bad shit.  I can’t relate to that, but if you ever need someone to talk to?  I listen really well!  And I’ll help you, One.  I’ll do whatever I can.  I know people, I can help you, or, you know, just give you a place to stay if you need it, or money, or I can get you away!  You know, get you out of the country, if you have to hide or whatever?  Just say the word, ok?  But you’re not alone.  I’m here, One.”

            He’d frozen when she’d touched him.  But now he turned back to her.  His eyes were impossible to read.  “Would you like to meet me at another time, Miss Cyrus?” he asked.  “I’m afraid I am currently very limited in accessible funds, but I would like to repay you somehow for your kindness.”

            “Oh!”  She caught her breath.  “Um, you don’t have to, I mean, you’re not obligated!”  She giggled.  “I mean, I’d love to hang out with you, yes, of course!”

            He put his hand over hers on his arm and closed his eyes for a moment, almost as if he were relishing the touch.  “Ah,” he said a moment later, opening his eyes again. 

            “Ah?  What’s that mean?”

            “It means that I don’t believe I can be what you hope I can be,” he said bluntly, looking back at her.  “I’m too far gone for that.  But you’re kind.  You could have hurt me, but you didn’t.  It’s been a long time since someone had me so much under their control and was still kind to me.  I was in a bad way last night, and I’m grateful to you.  For caring for me, and for not taking advantage.”  He gave her a small smile.

            Miley felt warm all over.  She clutched at his hand with both of hers and smiled back.  “One, you don’t owe me a thing!  But I’d love to get to know you better.  I really like you.”  She blushed.  “You just give the word, ok?  We can talk, or just hang out, or whatever you want.  But you’ve got a friend.”

            "I haven't many of those.  Ta."

            His smile widened, and Miley felt light-headed.  He was so handsome!  She dared to pull him into a hug.  It seemed to surprise him and he startled.  But then he chuckled and hugged her tightly back.  It was like he was starved for simple human contact, and Miley's heart ached for him.  She stayed where she was for a bit longer than she probably should have before she drew back, but he didn’t seem to mind.

            “Let me just grab my jacket,” she said, letting go of him and stepping away to grab the jacket she’d thrown over a chair last night.  “We should seriously stop somewhere on the way and get a bite to eat, though.  We can grab something from…”

            She turned back and discovered she was speaking to an empty room.  “One?” she called.

            No answer.

            A quick check of the surrounding rooms revealed no sign of the dancer.  Confused, Miley looked outside, and then searched the entire house.  Except for her and her pet pig, the house was empty.

            Hurt and confused, she sat abruptly down on a recliner and brooded.  She’d thought things were going so well, and then he just suddenly disappeared?  Her gaze fell on the phone.  Maybe Blake might know something?

            Blake answered right away.  “Blake, it’s Miley,” she began.  “Listen, this is going to sound a little weird…”

            “One disappeared on ya?”

            “…Ok, maybe it doesn’t sound as weird as I thought,” she said slowly.

            “No, no it does not.  What the hell happened last night, girl?  You dragged him off?”

            Miley quickly explained the events of last night, conveniently leaving out the fact that One had fought her the entire time she was rescuing him, or that she’d just woke up on top of him this morning with both of them in their underwear.  Blake listened in such complete silence that she almost thought she’d been disconnected.  But then he’d sighed.  “That’s why they were so messed up then,” he muttered to himself.  “They felt what he did.  Son of a bitch, it’s real!”

            “Huh?”

            “Nothing.  Listen, Miley, you’re a big girl and I know I don’t hardly got any business butting in on y'all, but let me give you a piece of advice.  One isn’t the kind of guy that you should be involving yourself with, ok, hon?  I’m not stupid, and I know that just me telling you that might make you want him even more.  But I like you, sweetheart, and if you involve yourself with these three, you are going to get hurt.  Believe me.  I know.”

            Miley frowned at the pain in Blake’s voice.  “Blake, is something wrong?”

            “I’m just a big stupid fool is all, honey,” Blake sighed.  “You call or text me right away if you see any of those guys, and I’ll do the same.  And honey?  Please be careful.”

            “Ok.”  Miley almost felt like she was speaking with her father and part of her wanted to bristle.  But Blake sounded so hurt and sincere that she couldn’t resent it.  “Thanks, Blake.”

            “Take care, sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jackatlas1996 **GOLD STAR** Way to call One's history! Nicely done!


	10. The Naming of Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake has a long, illuminating talk with Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings ahead, mind the tags as some parts get a little graphic. This was a long and difficult chapter to write. Along with everything else here, sad Blake always gets to me :(
> 
> This is Blake's song, "Over," that is Adam's ringtone:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPQB9NDeB-4
> 
> Song I used to write the first part of this was "Jealous" by Labrinth  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXD52y9jsOU

            Blake felt mostly numb as he’d followed behind the suited man in the dark glasses, leaving the police station following the bar fight.  The man, who appeared to be in his early fifties, walked ahead of Blake and Five, his arm draped familiarly around Adam’s shoulders, holding Adam close by his side.  The touchy bastard hadn't taken his hands off of Adam since he’d gotten them out of the drunk tank.  But Adam had simply allowed it, staring at the ground, letting the man direct him and refusing to meet Blake's eyes.  Blake had already decided that he detested every inch of the man’s scrawny, gangly five-ten frame, from his balding head to his hawk like nose, gaunt cheeks, thin lips and pointing chin, right down to his knobby elbows and knees and his loping gait.  Even dressed as he was in high-end clothing, he looked like a vulture, walking with his arm around an angel.  Blake couldn't imagine an odder pairing for the Sexiest Man Alive.  But of course, the empath had to know what Blake was feeling.  That's probably why Adam only walked meekly next to the man with his head down and his arms crossed over his chest, not saying a word.  Five, of course, was also acutely aware of the awkward situation.  He certainly looked embarrassed.  He walked with his thumbs hooked onto his belt, looking anywhere but at Blake even as he constantly glanced towards the country singer.

            As they walked, Blake cursed himself for being a fool.  _Serves you right,_ he told himself angrily.  _Just serves you right!  Take a good look, asshole, because that is what happens when you let the best fucking thing in your life slip right through your fingers!_

            Outside, the man paused by the chauffeured limousine that waited at the curb and turned to regard Blake.  His arm was still around Adam, who stared at the ground.  “Mr. Shelton, I am very sorry you got dragged into this,” the man was saying.  “You can rest assured that there will be no record.  This will in no way affect your career.”

            “Thanks,” Blake managed.  As if he gave a shit about his career now, when his heart was lying on the ground in a thousand pieces.  He managed to tear his eyes off of Adam to regard the man.  "Appreciate you getting us out."

            “The car will return you to your home,” the man continued.  “I’ll have your personal vehicle returned as well.  Again, my apologies.  These gentlemen and I will be discussing this in some detail.”

            Adam never changed expression, but Five grimaced.  “Dammit, Unum!” he exclaimed.  “You keep us on too tight of a leash!”

            “And this justifies getting completely intoxicated and getting into a bar fight?” Unum retorted sharply.  “I hardly think so!  You’ve put yourselves at needless risk of exposure, _and_ you’ve compromised your objective, my Five!  Elton’s team is going to have to take over for tonight.”  He shook his head in disgust, tightening his arm around Adam.  “What if something had happened, or you couldn’t contact me?  How could you have been so foolish?”

            Blake recognized the name.  Of course.  This was no lawyer, this was Adam’s _boss_ , the one who had contacted him about being an empath.  Adam had said he’d called Unum to get them out of jail, and here the man was in person.  Clearly, Adam hadn’t been completely honest about the nature of their relationship, though.  Blake didn’t know many bosses who would greet their employees the way he’d just seen Unum greet Adam.  Blake also found the situation a bit strange.  Here the guy was, with two employees who had apparently just screwed up.  And he was yelling at one while holding lovingly to the other, and neither seemed to find this in any way unusual.

            “You know, Blake didn’t do anything wrong,” Five insisted.  “He got into that fight in the first place because he was defending Seven!  There was no reason for your little stunt back in the cell!”

            Unum cocked an eyebrow.  “What stunt?  Greeting my boyfriend after I haven’t seen him in weeks?”

            “Blake didn’t know!” Five yelled.  “Tonight was the first time they got to sit down and talk, and Blake did not know about the two of you!  There was no reason for him to find out like that, Unum!  And we both know why you did it, you possessive, insecure…!”

            “Enough!” Unum called sharply, letting go of Adam to grab Five’s arm.  “Be mindful to whom you speak!”

            “Oh, I’m very much aware!” Five shot back.  “Trust me, I never get a chance to forget exactly who you are!  None of us do!”

            Unum’s brow darkened in anger.  “I will not be spoken to like this!”

            “Take your fucking hand off of me, Unum!”

            “Unum!”  Adam’s voice was sharp as he frowned at the man.  “Let go!”

            Unum released Five with a grimace.  “I’m sorry, my Five,” he said.

            “Whatever.”  To Blake’s surprise, Five was wincing as he rubbed at his arm.  “You’re still an asshole, Unum.  You want to be pissed at me, fine, but you had no business hurting Blake!”

            Adam was still standing where was, staring at the ground again.  “Can we please just go?” he asked quietly.  “We need to get out to the camp and get back in contact with One.”

            “My One is green compromised,” Unum announced.  “And as a result, none of you is fit to continue at present.  I’ve already made arrangements, and once my One is fit for duty again, the three of you will be brought back to LB1 for reintegration.”

            Blake did not like the sound of that.  But he liked the way both Five and Adam paled a bit even less.  “Hey Unum, how about you back off?” he called.  “Going to that honkey tonk was my idea, and I threw the first punch.  You want someone to blame, I’m your huckleberry!”

            Unum offered him a shy smile.  “Unlike my Five here, I’m a big fan of your music, Mr. Shelton,” he said pleasantly.  “In fact, ‘Over’ is my favorite song, and the ringtone for my Seven.  I also admire you as a person.  You know, I’ve heard a great deal about you.  We all have.  You played a very big part in my Seven’s life, and for that alone I would be grateful.  It’s clear that you care about him and his brothers.”  His face grew serious.  “But unfortunately, it’s also clear that they’ve told you some things they should not have.  I am asking you to keep whatever you may think you may know under wraps, as it could prove dangerous for all of us, yourself included.  Yourself especially!”  He paused, and actually looked chagrined.  “I also want you to know that I’m sorry.  My Five was right.  My relationship with my Seven is important to me, and I suppose, knowing his history with you, that I was feeling insecure.  You are, after all, very handsome, and I’m…”  He looked down self-consciously.  “Well.  There was a better way to break this to you.  I’m head over heels in love, Mr. Shelton, and I am a jealous man.  My behavior tonight was reprehensible.  I was childish and petty, and I’m sorry.”

            The frank apology took most of the fight out of Blake.  He nodded, mumbled something, and looked at the car.  “So, we all heading to my place?”

            “Not all of us,” Unum corrected.  “You and my Five will return to your home.  But if you don’t mind, I think that my Seven and I need to talk.”

            “My Five and my Seven, huh?” Blake said casually.  “You talk like you own them, man.”

            “It’s a term of affection,” Unum explained pleasantly.  “Please don’t make more of it than it is.”  He turned back to Adam and almost shyly reached for his hand.  “Let’s go, my love.”

            Adam linked his fingers through Unum’s.  “I’ll catch up with you guys later, ok?” he called.  His hazel eyes were full of remorse and sadness as he finally looked at Blake.  “Blake, I’m sorry, ok?  I just didn’t know how to tell you.  I didn’t know if you’d even care!  I knew you still had feelings, but I had no idea where you and I stood, and so much had happened…!”

            “Don’t, buddy,” Blake heard himself saying.  “It’s been a year, and I had no business thinking you’d wait.  I’m glad you found someone.”  He made shooing motions with his hand.  “Go ahead, talk.  Unum, thanks for springing us.”  Blake forced a smile, nodding at Adam.  “Take care of this one, would you?”

            “I will.”  Unum wrapped his free arm around Adam again.  He kissed Adam’s cheek, and once again, Adam gave him a small smile.  Unum looked at Five, and his warm expression once more grew frosty.  “My Five, I’ll be seeing you.  Very soon.”

            “Whatever.”  Five moved unsteadily forward and opened the car door.  He was obviously still under the influence.  “Blake, let’s get out of here, huh?”

            “Sure.”  Blake looked back towards Adam, but he and Unum were gone.  He blinked, looking around.  Even if they’d gone back into the building, they couldn’t have gotten there this quickly.  “Where the hell did they go?”

            “Bang zoom to the moon, Alice,” Five sighed.  “Welcome to big brother Unum showing off.  Insecure little prick has to remind us why he’s the alpha dog, since he obviously can’t compete with you in any other way."  Five looked disgusted, clenching his fists as he turned to Blake.  "He’s such a fucking asshole!  I can't believe he told you I don't like country music."

            "Can't please everyone, I guess," Blake offered.

            "Don't take it personally, man.  It's just, all through my twenties I stayed with an uncle, working on his ranch, and did rodeo.  I got sick of country music pretty fast.  Any more, I consider most of it a biohazard that should be regulated by the Geneva treaty."

            "Harsh!" Blake exclaimed.  "Eh, I never cared all that much for jazz."

            "It's not all bad, country," Five admitted.  "In fact, I have one of your songs.  Ol' Red."

            Blake beamed.  "You like that one?"

            "Sure!  Best song about dog sex I've ever heard!"

            Blake laughed despite himself.  Then he frowned, seeing Five rub at his arm again.  “Hey, buddy, I saw you take a dozen punches and get hit with broken furniture tonight, and you didn’t get a scratch!  So how’d that skinny Unum guy hurt you?”

            "He didn’t, not really.  Just held me a little tight, is all.”

            “Yeah, that’s what I’m getting at.  He hurt you by squeezing your arm too hard, when a bar full of pissed off drunks couldn’t touch you?”

            Five wouldn’t meet his gaze.  “It’s complicated." 

            “You also called him ‘big brother Unum.’” Blake pressed.  “He the same thing you guys are?”

            “Like I said, it’s complicated.”  Five was frowning again.  "What an asshole!  Don’t know what Seven sees in him.  I can’t stand the guy, Blake.  He pisses me off and intimidates One.  Douchebag!”  He sighed.  “But he does usually take care of us when shit like this happens and we really need him.  So far as bosses go, I suppose I’ve had worse.  But I gotta tell ya, if it was just me and you in there and not Seven?  I could see him letting us stew until morning.  Wouldn't be the first time he's left me rotting in a cell, trying to teach me a lesson or something.”  He gestured towards the car.  “C’mon, buddy.  Let’s get you home.”

****

            Blake stumbled into his house, dragging his wallet and keys out of his pocket and tossing them onto a side table.  He kicked his boots off as he walked, letting his jacket fall on the floor.  The injuries he’d received in the fight had joined into a rousing rendition of the Halleluiah Chorus, reminding him that he really was too damned old for that bar brawl shit.  Still, he was glad he’d punched the homophobic bigot.  It had honestly been the most satisfying moment he’d had in his life for some time.

            Blake pulled his belt free and tossed it aside.  His shirt ended up over the back of a chair as he headed for the kitchen.  Blake’s first thought was the booze.  Tonight certainly called for a roaring drunk to help soothe his broken heart.  But Blake knew he’d only feel worse in the morning.  He pulled out the Tylenol and grabbed a glass, intending to stick to lemonade.  Tonight he needed to have a clear head.  It was time to sit down and really think, try to figure out what it was he wanted.

            Of course, that was a no brainer.  What he wanted was Adam.  But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?  Blake had let his chance pass him by, and now Adam had been taken by someone who clearly paid a big part in his new life.  Blake didn’t like the fact that Five didn’t approve, or what he’d said about Unum intimidating One.  He wasn’t happy about the creepy, possessive way he called them “my Seven” or “my Five” either, and didn’t buy the “term of affection” crap Unum tried to pass off on him.  And he liked less that the balance of power between Adam and his new boyfriend seemed so slanted.  Somehow, he didn’t think that Adam had really wanted to go with Unum tonight, but he couldn’t recall anyone actually asking Adam that question.  Unum clearly held all the power in their relationship.  But that was probably unavoidable.  The man was Adam’s boss, after all.  The bottom line was that Adam had clearly moved on, and now Blake had no chance.  Would he at least want to be friends?  Or was there no longer any place in Adam’s life for a bumbling country hick who couldn’t even be trusted with classified information?

            Blake rubbed his hands over his face, feeling the rasp of stubble.  He turned and Five was right there, standing in the entrance of his kitchen, watching him with solemn blue eyes.  Blake bit back a curse and startled, clinging to the kitchen island for support.  “Son of a bitch!  You guys gotta quit doing that!”

            “Sorry.  But when you walked in and didn’t even close the door behind you, I thought maybe it might be a good idea to follow you and make sure you’re alright.”  Five sighed.  “Of course you’re not alright.  Why would you be alright?  Sorry Unum’s such an asshole, buddy.”

            “Yeah, me too.”  Blake waited for his heartrate to return to normal.

            “I can leave if I’m intruding?” Five offered.

            “Eh, make yourself at home,” Blake invited.  “You want a beer?”

            “Not a good idea, I think,” Five sighed.  “If One’s green compromised, he needs us to be as clear as we can be.  Otherwise, it just makes it harder for him to get back.  He’s in enough trouble as it is.  No point adding to it.”

            Blake produced a second glass and held it up invitingly towards the fridge.  “Got some lemonade in here, homemade.  Damned good, too.  You can have it, if you can tell me what green compromised is without using the word ‘classified’ when you do it?”

            Five laughed.  “Green compromised means that, for some reason, someone is out of action, but not in any active danger,” he explained.  “Usually, when we say someone’s green compromised, it means they’re shitface drunk.  But One doesn’t drink, so honestly it’s weird.”

            Blake poured lemonade and handed Five a glass.  “I hate to tell you this, buddy, but One looked completely trashed to me!  Personally, I’m glad Miley took him.  She’s got a reputation, but I know she won’t hurt him, and more importantly, she won’t let him get hurt.”

            “I’m glad to hear that.”  Five looked concerned.  “One’s had it rough in his life, Blake.  Honestly, he’s lost more than me and Seven combined.”

            “He ain’t hardly more than a kid,” Blake commented.  “How old is he again?”

            “Twenty-two.  He’s been with the Company four years.”

            Blake quickly did the math.  “He joined up when he was eighteen?”

            “You could say that.  None of us joined up so much as we got press ganged.  You know what happened to Adam, the nurse with the syringe to make sure he came in?  Yeah, he wasn't the first.  He just had more choice initially than the rest of us did.”

            Blake frowned.  "I still have a serious problem with that!"

            "I imagine you do, but honestly, what choice was there?  By the time he came back, his life, as he knew it, was over.  Breaker exposed what he was on national television for anyone who understood what they were seeing.  It was a matter of time before someone else just like Breaker came after him again."

            "Oh."  Blake hadn't thought of that.  "I still don't like that he was threatened."

            "Preaching to the choir, my friend."  Five smacked his lips.  “Damn, Shelton, you’re right, this is really good lemonade!”  He paused.  “Look, I know you don’t really know me, and you might not want to open up to a stranger.  I'm a cowboy too, and I know we don't tend to share easily.  But I’ve had my share of broken hearts and I’ve got good ears.  I’ve even got broad, absorbent shoulders if you need one, you know?  If you don’t want to talk, I’ll give you your space.  But I’m here, and I got nothing else planned.”

            Blake felt absurdly touched by this.  He clapped the other man on the shoulder and indicated with his head to follow him out into the messy living area.  He’d been planning to sit and nurse his broken heart tonight, and initially Five’s unexpected presence had been bothersome.  But Blake realized that he genuinely liked the guy.  He'd initially been intimidated, especially as he grew more and more certain that the shorter man possessed unnatural physical strength that he didn't seem afraid to put to use.  But Five was warm, funny, and surprisingly sweet.  Having him around lifted Blake's spirits a little, and Blake found himself glad for his company.  “Where are you staying now?” he asked.

            Five waved towards the window.  “Same place we’ve been, camped out across the road.”

            “Yeah, well, not tonight,” Blake declared.  “I got lots of room.  Pick a bed and sleep in it, and no, that’s not me telling you to go, if you’re wondering.  No reason you should be camping out when I got a warm bed.”

            Five smiled.  “Thank you.  Honestly, I think I'll take you up on that, if for no reason than because my head feels all sorts of fucked up and it's damned lonely out there on my own.”

            “No problem.”  He put the pitcher of lemonade on the table, cleared off the couch, brushing things thoughtlessly onto the floor, and then indicated the cushions.  “Sit a spell.”

            Five sat down, and Blake eased gingerly down next to him.  “So, Unum’s an asshole,” Blake declared.

            Five laughed.  “Yes, yes he is.  But he’s a damned powerful asshole.  He’s got his fingers in more pies than anyone ever knows.”  He glanced sideways at Blake.  “Seeing him with Seven is like seeing the class nerd with the prom queen, isn’t it?”

            Blake snorted laughter.  “I didn’t want to say it, but yeah, they do look kind of funny.  I don’t like to call someone ugly, but…”

            “…But he’s certainly not the sexiest man alive,” Five finished.  “Well, there’s an explanation.  They started dating because Unum is the one who got my brother away from Breaker.”

            Blake almost choked.  “Unum?  _Unum_ saved Adam from Breaker?”

            Five chucked.  “Who did you think it…”  He paused, seeing Blake’s stare, and laughed.  “Oh, you thought it was us!  No, One and I played our roles in all that, but it was Unum that did the heavy lifting.  He tracked Breaker down, and personally led the strike team that rescued Adam Levine.”

            “Oh.”  Blake wasn’t a vain man, but he’d always been aware that he was a man of many charms.  He’d been comparing himself to Unum, and wondering what it could be that the other man had Blake didn’t.  Now, though, he thought he understood.  “So Unum saved Adam from Breaker.  Yeah, that certainly would have gotten anyone’s attention.”  _And I couldn’t possibly compete!_ he thought.

            “Right from the start, even before he was integrated, Seven could sense that Unum was smitten with him,” Five explained.  “And he really is, man, I mean, we are talking head over heels, forget what he’s saying when Seven walks into the room, you know?  So Seven started going out with him, and I don’t know, I guess they clicked.  They’ve been pretty serious for months now."

            Serious.  Adam and Unum had been serious for months now.  Blake sipped his lemonade in silence, glad Five wasn’t an empath or telepath who could read his unhappy thoughts.  _I got no chance at all.  Adam’s gone forever._

            "Frankly, I think Seven has an undiagnosed brain tumor or something that presses on his brain cells,” Five was saying, oblivious.  “I don't know any other reason he stays with that douche!  He knows how One and I feel about the guy, and as you probably noticed, it does cause a lot of tension.  But for all Unum shits on me and One, he puts Seven on a pedestal and showers him with affection.”

            Blake frowned.  “Glad he’s good to Adam, but what’s his deal with y’all?”

            Five chewed on his lower lip.  “The three of us have a history that goes back to before Seven and that’s really all the more I want to talk about that asshole, ok?  I really shouldn’t have said anything.  You can form your own opinion.”

            “I’m inclined to hate him, for reasons that are probably obvious.”

            “Yeah, well, I’m inclined to let you.  But you should know.  Unum pulled a lot of strings to let my brother come to that last show, Blake.  He’s the reason you got to see him again.”

            Blake cocked an eyebrow.  “Oh, really?  One said that was him.”

            Five shifted.  “One removed the last obstacle that Unum couldn’t budge to make it happen,” he said evasively.  “And before you ask, yes, Unum is the reason that there was a guard with a syringe full of potassium cyanide there.  Above all, Unum’s got a duty to perform, and one way or another, Adam Levine was not walking off that set a free man.”

            “A duty to perform.  That’s his excuse for threatening to murder Adam?”  Blake felt hot again.  "And exactly how long has he been, as you say, 'smitten' with Adam?  What are the chances he forced Adam to come in and join up just for a chance to be close to him?"

            “It’s not that simple,” Five sighed.  "Unum runs our section of the project, but he's not the main boss at the Company.  He's one of three project leaders who all report to a board of directors.  I'm sure Unum was all for bringing our brother in, and he certainly made it happen, but Adam Levine was taken because of what he is, not who he was or what he looked like.  Like I said, it's not that simple."

            “Never is.”  Blake brooded for a moment.  And then he found himself talking, telling Five about how he and Adam had met, how their friendship had formed, how it had blossomed, and all that they’d gone through together.  He described how Adam had been there through his divorce, and the events leading up to that fateful road trip.  The trip itself was still so painful to talk about that Blake described it into his lemonade glass, unable to meet Five’s eyes.  And he couldn’t stop the tears as he described how it had been, watching Adam be taken away, seeing him come back, and then the terrible realization that he was gone again.  “When he rolled in that last show?  This is how stupid I am, Five.  I honestly thought it was all over!”

            Five had been listening sympathetically.  Now he frowned.  “What’s stupid about that?”

            “Because I had eyes, dammit!  I could see that he’d had the shit beaten out of him, hell, he even had a cast on his ankle.  It was obvious he’d been through hell.  But he was there, you know?  After all that time, all that worry, not even knowing if he was still alive?  I could finally hold him in my arms again!  I cannot even describe how that was, Five, holding him again after that week.  And I was so crazy that I just assumed everything would go back to how it was before, only better, because we’d be together.  I mean, he told me back in Oklahoma that he loved me, right?  And I just assumed that wouldn’t change.”  He shook his head.  “I even believed it when I found out Breaker had raped him, even though it should have been obvious he'd never be the same after something like that.  It damned near killed me, learning the bastard had forced himself on Adam!  But tonight, do you know that Adam actually said that the rape was tertiary?”

            “It was,” Five replied, stunning Blake.  “Breaker didn’t take him for sex, Blake.  It was just one more thing he did.”

            “How the hell can you say that?” Blake yelled.  “That son of a bitch _raped_ him!”

            "I know," Five said.  His voice was oddly flat.  "Trust me.  I know _exactly_ what he did."

            And then it hit Blake like a ton of bricks.  "He did it to you, too, didn't he?  Breaker took you, too!  Holy shit, did he take _all three_ of you?"

            Five closed his eyes and sank back into the couch.  Blake cursed his own stupidity.  "Damn my fat stupid mouth!  Five, you don't have to…"

            “Yes," Five said softly.  He sat as he was, sitting on Blake’s couch with his empty lemonade glass in hand, his eyes closed.  "Breaker took all of us, and put us all through that same hell.  It's why we are what we are, because of what he did to us, and that's precisely why he did it.”

             “All of you!” Blake exclaimed.  “Unbelievable!  What he did to Adam was bad enough, but I cannot believe he did that to all three of you!”

            “All seven of us, Blake!”

            For a moment, Blake stopped breathing.  “Seven?  He did that to seven people?”

            “Seven that survived," Five corrected.  He opened his eyes and finally looked at Blake.  "I honestly don’t have any idea how many people didn’t make it, but I know there were at least two that died before Six and Seven.”

            “One, Five, and Seven," Blake realized.  "I suppose I should have guessed that the other numbers would be out there somewhere, too.  They like you guys?”

            Five only grunted in reply.

            “And you’re sure he’s not somewhere out there still doing it?  Breaker, I mean?”

            “Not if Unum had anything to say about it,” Five declared.  “Unum’s been after Breaker for a while.  There is a long, sordid history between them, and it’s part of why things have never really been simple with him and me and One.  See, they started out on the same side, working for the Company on the same project.  Breaker went off the reservation when he got hold of One, though, and it went downhill from there.”  He paused.  “Not sure you want to hear this, buddy.”

            “No, I want to hear,” Blake insisted, squeezing Five's arm.  “Please, I want to know.  Tell me about Breaker, or as much as you can about him.”

            Five swallowed.  "I don't want to hurt you."

            "It's hurting me more not to know," Blake pressed.  "Please, Five?"

            “It’s very highly classified, Blake!  I can’t…”  He looked into Blake’s tearstreaked face and seemed to wilt.  Five nodded, his blue eyes distant as he began to speak.  “The program that eventually created us was called Shard.  It was getting a lot of attention and funds thrown at it, and the Company was under some serious pressure to produce some results.  But it wasn’t happening.  And eventually, they figured out why.  Shard is a project that works with the human mind, very specific humans with certain abilities.  The object was to bring out those abilities to their fullest extent, make them stronger."

            "Like empathy, telepathy?"

            "And chi, precisely.  Three powers, all related to the human mind, that Shard was capable of enhancing.  When the project first started, the original subjects were exposed to all three enhancements.  That enhanced their abilities to a certain point, but the subjects ended up not really fit for field work.  Those two people, the ones that it actually worked on?  They were lead scientists as well as subjects, and willing volunteers.  So they became the project leaders, Unum and Duo."

            "Unum and Duo…"  Blake snapped his fingers.  "I knew that name meant something!  It's on the money!  E pluribus Unum, from many one.  One, and two!  Numbers again!"

            "Yes, the original Shard numbers.  Latin for one and two," Five confirmed.  "Unum is extremely powerful both physically and psychically, but unable to tolerate being out in the field for too long before he'll start to fall apart.  And I do mean literally fall apart, like complete organ shut-down.  That's why he has to stay at LB1, to keep him alive.  Duo also became physically and psychically very powerful, but nowhere near Unum's level.  He didn't suffer from the physical debilities that kept Unum out of the field.  But although his body didn't suffer from the change, his mind certainly did!  Basically, he was psychotic, like, he was brilliant, but a real psychopath.  He was doing unauthorized experiments, sometimes on unwilling subjects, and blatantly ignoring any ethical considerations because he saw no use for ethics when they stood in the way of what he was trying to accomplish.  And he was so powerful that no one could stop him.  The only one who could settle him down was Unum.  Duo couldn't do field work either, because away from Unum, he got so bad that he was actually on the verge of being classified as Threat level.”

            “But that gave them a hint.  Trying to enhance all three powers at once wasn’t working.  The empathy portion wasn’t being enhanced at all, and in Duo’s case was actually destroyed completely.  The only subject that was physically capable of field work was too dependent on the subject that was physically unstable, meaning neither could be used.  Part of the problem was that neither Unum nor Duo had any natural psionic abilities before Shard.  So they came up with the idea of finding subjects who did have those abilities, matching those natural abilities to one of the Shard segments and exposing them to that segment, and that segment alone.   The process was called integration, and the further integrated you got, the stronger you became.  The holy grail was the Shard trio, all three powers enhanced and integrated together to create a trio of operatives capable of utilizing their abilities in the field.”

            “You guys.”

            “Us guys,” Five confirmed.  “Except it wasn’t working.  It looked great on paper, but over and over again, integration failed.  Turned out, if a subject resisted, it was no dice every time.  And no amount of preparation or pep talks or even drugging a subject could get it to work to the level the board wanted.  In fact, the subject usually died.”

            “Died!”

            “Now you see why we ended up getting press ganged?  Not many volunteers for that kind of research.”

            “Did Adam know what these guys wanted to do to him?” Blake asked, incredulous.  “When we talked in Oklahoma, he seemed to think this was voluntary, and he’d mostly be coming in for tests!  Did he understand the risk he was taking when they brought him in to integrate him with this Shard thing?”

            “I don’t know what he was told,” Five sighed.  “I wasn’t really in a good place before he joined us, and we never talked about it.  But anyone who they tried to integrate tried to fight, and that meant severe brain damage.  People were either dying, or turning into vegetables, basically.  And no one knew what to do.  The entire Shard project was on the brink of being scrapped.”

            “But then out of the blue, Duo strolls into the board room with One, and suddenly he was the golden boy, the man of the hour!  One was a powerful, stable telepath, completely integrated to the telepathic Shard segment, and capable of integrating to the other two subjects as soon as they became available.  It was the first proof that Shard really could work.  Duo promised that he could do it again, even though he refused to reveal his methods, providing he was given free reign to work and unlimited access to his subjects.  Duo held One up in front of everyone and promised to create a Shard trio, a full integrated set.  The board fell over themselves to give him whatever he wanted.  But Unum couldn’t figure out how he’d done it."

            "One didn't know?"

            "One wouldn’t talk.  At all.  And he was completely under Duo’s control, to the point that he wouldn’t even eat unless Duo told him to.”

            “That’s fucked up!  What the hell did this Duo guy do to him?”  Blake thought of the prim, proper British dancer and tried to imagine what Five was describing.  He couldn’t do it.

            “I know it's hard to imagine how bad One really was, seeing him now," Five confessed.  "One's strong, and largely thanks to Seven, he made a recovery that most people never could have managed.  But even today, we gotta watch to make sure nothing triggers him, or he goes right back into a real bad headspace.  It’s why Seven was so worried about him tonight.”

            “Miley will take care of him.”

            “I hope so,” Five sighed.  “One’s strong, like I said.  Even if he’s triggered, he tends to bounce back, especially if Seven’s around.  But back then, Duo had complete control over him.  And he never let One stray from his side.  Any time One even looked at a door, Duo would snap, 'You're not going anywhere!' and One would just cringe and move meekly back to his side.”

            “Oof,” Blake groaned.  “No wonder I scared the shit out of him that night I handled him.  Suddenly I’m glad Adam punched me in the face.”  He shook his head.  “Sorry, go on.”

            “That’s how it was, with Duo and One.  One was completely cowed, and Duo just crushed even the slightest sign of rebellion.  It went on until Unum finally managed to get One away from Duo and get him to talk.  And the story he told!  Turns out Duo had figured out that the only way to get someone to fully integrate into a Shard segment was to break them.  Completely.  And he’d kidnapped and tortured One for five days until that happened, an eighteen year old kid!”

            Blake's fists clenched in anger.  “Why was that son of a bitch not thrown in jail?”

            “Because what he’d done worked, that’s why!” Five exclaimed.  “Unum naturally took One, and the Company threw Duo out on his ass.  But the kind of people that the Company deals with?  Blake, they were way more interested in results than how they were obtained.  One was proof that Shard could work, a genuine telepath powerful enough to actually influence or even override the mind of another human being that was stable enough to do field work!  Duo knew he could do it again, as long as he could find more subjects to break.  And that's why he started calling himself Breaker.  He was advertising, Blake, letting everyone know exactly what services he offered.  And he had support, backers right from the start, to complete the set."

            "Complete the set."  Blake's voice was flat.  "I get that you mean a telepath, an empath, and whatever you are, someone super strong.  But that sounds like he's collecting Nascar models, not people!  What's the big deal with having all three of you?"

            "Right from its conception, the scientists on the Shard project figured out that it would take all three abilities to fully and irretrievably integrate a subject into Shard," Five explained.  "One was powerful, but the poor kid was an emotional wreck.  Although he could do field work, integration had also weakened his body as it strengthened his mind.  He needed a team of bodyguards to protect him.  When they brought me in, it made him stronger, shored him up both physically and in terms of his abilities.  It also made me a telepath, or at least able to communicate telepathically with One.  Something I really wish I was able to do now, but I suppose if he's green compromised…"

            "No offense, but One and Adam really don't seem especially strong."

            "In terms of physical strength, with me they're just back to normal.  But did you notice how quickly Seven healed up tonight?"

            "I kind of did, yeah.  That's because he's integrated with you, and you enhance his physical?"

            "You got it.  They don’t get hurt easily, and when they do, they heal fast.  And then adding Seven to the mix made us all whole, as well as giving the power level they'd been hoping for.  It was all to create a fully integrated Shard trio.  And it worked."

            "I see."  Privately, Blake was wondering if the people in charge of Shard were aware of how difficult the trio seemed to find keeping confidential information.  He couldn't believe how much Five was telling him, but he wasn't about to point it out.  "So to get One to the point where he could really work the way Shard wanted him to, he needed those missing elements."

            "That's why Breaker went looking for his missing pieces," Five confirmed.  "And his job was just like it sounds.  He found us, people with our abilities, and then he’d track us down and kidnap us.  None of us was ever given a choice.  And yes, he raped us, but it wasn’t ever about sex.  Hell, he kept me for sixteen months and he never touched me once I was integrated.”

            Blake stared.  “Sixteen months?  He kept you for _sixteen months_?”

            Five nodded and rolled back his sleeve.  “See these scars?  My brothers’ are more like these, from the ropes.  But these, the straight ones?  Breaker chained me up every night while he had me.  He did it to all of us, chained us up at night to be sure we couldn't get away while he slept.  I scarred like this because I had shackles rubbing at my wrists every night for sixteen months.”

            "You tore my gate right off its hinges!"

            "I'm stronger now, with Seven.  Back then, when Breaker first integrated me, I was plenty strong, sure, but not strong enough to break those chains.  Trust me, I tried."

            Blake eyed the scars on Five's arm.  “So Adam?  He’s got these same scars?”

            “And worse.  Seven held out the longest, went through the most.”  Five slid his sleeve back down as Blake digested that.  He glanced at Blake’s face and grimaced.  “Sorry, man.  I know it’s hard to hear about someone you love being hurt, but I want you to understand.  See, Breaker's MO was that he took you when you were at your highest, and he brought you to your lowest.  Adam Levine was at the height of his game, and about to win on your show for the third time, so Breaker took him right off of the show, right in front of you.  In my case, I’d just won the record deal.  I thought I was the cat’s meow, you know?  And I was outside the studio, heading in from the parking lot to do my first recording, when Breaker jumped out of a van and grabbed me.”

            “I don’t understand,” Blake complained.  “How the hell could he have taken you at all, Five?  I saw you pick up and throw a three hundred pound man tonight like he was a twelve year old girl!”

            “You're not getting it.  One and Seven were always a telepath and an empath, but I'm only strong because I've been integrated, Blake.  I wasn’t like that before Breaker took me,” Five explained.  “I was never especially strong, not out of the ordinary, you know?  I worked at my uncle’s ranch and I could rope and heel and bulldog with the best of ‘em.  I even won the tri-state rodeo, but I wasn’t like a bodybuilder or anything like that.  The physical aspect isn't like the mental aspects.  Strength and physical resilience, those are kind of side effects."

            "Side effects of what?"

            "Of what I actually could do, the thing that made me different."  Without warning, Five reached out his hand and gently laid it on Blake's cheek.  His eyes glowed green.

            Blake startled, but otherwise froze.  His face was tingling.  So were his ribs, his knuckles, everything that was hurting a moment ago.  Five dropped his hand, eyes returning to blue.  Gingerly, Blake reached up towards his split lip to find it had mended.  The cuts and abrasions on his knuckles were gone.  In fact, it seemed that all of the wounds he'd obtained in the fight that night had suddenly healed.  "You're a tactile healer, one of those lay on hands guys!" Blake exclaimed, astonished.

            "And that is why the gift I add to our Shard trio is fast healing and resilience, rather than strength."

            "So, you were a faith healer, then, before Breaker found you?"

            "I was actually a doctor," Five explained, shyly ducking his head.  "A general practitioner.  But I didn't do private practice.  I worked in clinics, first near the ranch, and then back in the Bronx.  Free clinics, you know, that catered to the poor?  My patients couldn't afford medicine or surgery, but I could help some of them, if I did it very carefully.  I just had to be sneaky enough that they didn't catch on to what I was really doing."  He chuckled.  "I used to wear these dark glasses, to hide my eyes because they'd glow if I used my power.  So they'd call me Dr. Shades.  And that's how the Company found me, I guess.  I thought I was so careful, but so many people needed my help…!"

            "Five, that is amazing, and I don't just mean that you can heal," Blake declared.  "I mean that you put yourself out like that, giving up what could have been a hell of a lucrative career to help the poor!  You're quite a guy, aren't you?"

            "My brothers are the same.  Did you know Seven was volunteering, under a false name, at a shelter for battered women?  He didn't have the power he does now, but he was still able to help a lot of women and kids.  And One, he was a peer counselor at his school, helping the other students.  He could read their minds, and talked a lot of them out of some really bad decisions and even a couple of suicide attempts.”

            Blake shook his head.  “I did not know that.  I knew Adam had someplace he went that he wouldn’t tell anyone about, but I didn’t know it was a shelter.  But how did he and One hide their eyes?  Shades again?”

            “My brothers could just close their eyes to hide the glow, so they could push hard if they had to, dig deep to learn what they needed to know to help someone.  But people get nervous if a doctor has his eyes closed, so I went with the shades.  I think that's how they found the three of us, because of what we were doing, how we were using our powers, and how we tried to hide our eyes.  In the end, it's how Breaker knew to come after us."  Five shook his head.  “Since he'd been partially integrated himself, none of us was capable of fighting him off alone.  You saw what he did to my brother when he took him?  Wasn't that different for me.  He choked me that same way, right there in the parking lot to make me reveal what I was.  I really thought I was going to die!  It was like I was that twelve year old girl.  It was so fucking easy for him to overpower me, drag me into the van, tie me up!  I fought him for all I was worth, and it was like I couldn’t even scratch him!”

            “He had what you have now,” Blake recalled.  "You said the only thing that wasn’t enhanced was empathy.  So he had a bit of what One could do, too?"

            “A minor form of both, but yeah.  His telepathic powers were pretty unimpressive next to Unum or One, but he could certainly read minds!  Knew exactly what to say and do to make everything so much worse.”

            “That explains why he called Adam ‘brother,’ and how he was able to handle Adam the way he did,” Blake realized.  "You guys all have the same thing!"

            “Yeah.  Unum and Breaker didn't have our abilities, but we all have the same thing, and that's what reacted to Shard.  It's just stronger in us.”

            "What is it?"

            "I honestly don't know," Five confessed.  "There’s something inside of us that’s different than the rest of the population.  We're operatives, but we only operate on a need to know basis.  No one seemed to think we needed to know what it is inside of us or how it got there.  Seven knows a little more, I think, because Unum confided in him, trying to talk him into coming in before Breaker found him.  But whatever Seven knows, he learned it before he was integrated.  That means One and I never got it."

            Blake inclined his head.  “Understood.  So Breaker kidnapped you?”

            “Yeah.  He took me out to some hideout somewhere and went to work.”  Five swallowed hard.  “It took him three days.  That’s it.  Three days, and I broke completely.  He tortured me, Blake.  Beatings, electricity, fire, knives, you name it, he did it.  And he wouldn’t let me pass out, either.  When I passed out, he raped me, so I learned to stay conscious.  Like I said, it was never about sex.  Raping me was just one more thing he did to break me, prove how helpless I was.  And I got the message.  There wasn't anything he couldn't do to me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it!”  He ran a shaking hand over his hair.  “Every morning, he'd tie me up or strap me down, depending on what he'd planned to do.  The end of each day had its high point, when he'd stop and do something really creative before he'd chain me back up again for the night.  He took a bull whip to me the first day.  Second day, he burned my right nipple off with a soldering iron.  And the third day, after he carved his name into my chest?”  He indicated an area near his clavicle.  “I was done, Blake.  I just couldn’t take anymore!  I broke, completely.  I would have done anything, sold my soul to get him to stop hurting me, man!  So when he integrated me, I didn’t fight.  And it drew me in.”

            Blake didn’t know what to say.  He’d grown accustomed to Five, his quick smile and laughter, the warm friendly personality.  The man sitting with him now was a different person.  For a long moment, Five simply sat as he was, lost in his painful memories.  Blake waited patiently, and after a time, Five began to speak again.

            “Once I was integrated, I wasn’t nearly as strong as I am now.  But I was certainly more than a match for him!  So it tells you something that I didn't fight to keep him from chaining me up and burning the number five into my bicep after he integrated me, doesn't it?  That’s also why he kept chaining me up every night, even though I was so fucked up that I stayed with him and did whatever he told me to do.  Sixteen months.  Sixteen fucking months, doing whatever the hell he told me to do, and the worst part was that I watched him do it to someone else!”

            “Six?” Blake guessed.

            “And two other guys before Six who didn’t survive.  I helped him kidnap three people, and then I stood there and watched him murder two of them, Blake.  Right in front of me.  Afterwards, I carried out the bodies for him, tossed them into the incinerator.  And then I stayed and watched as he broke and integrated Six.  I just sat there in the corner where he told me to wait, and I watched.”  Five’s eyes had closed, and his mouth was twisted into a bitter grimace.  “It’s not like I was brainwashed, you know?  I knew that I should have helped them, done something, anything at all.  But all I could think was that if I helped them, then Breaker would go back to me.  And I couldn’t go through it again!  When I tell you he broke me, I cannot even describe how completely broken I really was.  Every night, I held still and let him chain me up, and every day, I’d be with him, doing whatever he told me to do, fetching and carrying for him, feeling like a zombie, trying not to think, not able to really feel, just obeying.  I could have gotten away about a million times, but I never even _considered_ it!  But he didn’t touch me.  I mean, he slapped me around a few times, but not, you know, like that.  He never forced himself on me again, not so much as a peck on the cheek because he was never interested in me that way.  He didn't even rape Six after he broke her.  So yeah, Blake.  Raping me, I count that among the worst things that piece of shit did to me.  But it wasn’t the top of the list.”

            “Do I dare ask what was at the top of the list?”

            “That initial integration.  That was the worst, and honestly, I couldn't explain how it was done if I tried.  I can’t tell you what it was all about, what was done to us to make us what we are today because I don't understand it and no one bothered explaining.  All I can tell you is that Six and I stayed with him for two more months, helping him try to get One back.  Six was another empath.  When Breaker integrated her, she got grafted onto me and to One.  Suddenly, we were an integrated trio, and just like that, I could feel again.”

            “Wait,” Blake called.  “One was there, too?”

            “Not physically, no.  Breaker was trying like hell to reclaim him, but the Company put up a fight.  It got messy, Breaker's supporters getting into actual combat with Company operatives, ambushing One's bodyguards and trying to drag him off.  It's a miracle the Company was able to keep him.  But even without having physical control of him, integration meant being integrated to One.  Later I found out that Two, Three, and Four did the same thing Six and I did, latched automatically onto One as part of the integration process even though he was nowhere near us.  And Unum…  Well, that’s kind of when things really started to go bad between One and Unum.  Unum had physical control of One, but Breaker could still use him to integrate others because it was happening automatically.  Unum couldn't stop it.  Over and over, One kept getting these people grafted onto him, and Unum would bust his ass to get them off because it was driving One nuts even as it was making him more powerful.  But once I latched on, Unum couldn’t pry me off, because One wouldn’t let me go.  I could feel Unum trying to separate us, but I wouldn’t let One go, either, and together we were able to fight him off.  So we stayed together, and we've been together ever since.  That's a big part of why there's so much tension between us, because that's one of the few times Unum didn't get his own way.”

            “You guys, what, hit it off?”

            “I don’t know,” Five said slowly.  “We just _fit_ somehow.  When Six joined us, I think we both tried to keep her, and Unum, for once, learned his lesson and didn't try to force the issue.  But she was always on the outside.  Not like we were, you know?  Breaker was just livid when he realized that she was integrated, but not fully, and falling out of it without any interference from Unum.  Once he had the missing elements of his Shard trio, his plan all along had been to gather all his allies and do a direct assault on the Company, to go back for One.  He had me, as strong then as I am now, and Six, and because we were integrated with him, we could always sense One's presence.  There was nowhere on Earth that Unum could hide him where we couldn't sense him.  So Breaker's plan was that he'd use me and Six to track One down and steal him back.”

            “But he had a problem.  Six was in bad shape right from the start.  To put it bluntly, she just didn't quite mesh with us, her mind and ours.  One and I got all the benefit from her empathic abilities, and she got next to nothing from us except a boost in her powers that she couldn't really control, two guys in her head and Breaker keeping her prisoner.  An empath, being held captive by a psychopath.  It's no wonder, what happened to her.  One and I tried.  Even broken as we both were, we tried to hold onto her, but she just slipped further and further away.  And when she killed herself?  That’s what finally woke me up.”

            “So Six was the empath that died.  And that pissed you off,” Blake guessed.

            “No.  I couldn’t feel anything,” Five corrected.  “And that’s why I fought.  With Six, I could think and feel again, and for the first time in nearly a year and a half, I felt whole.  When she died, I lost that, and I just didn’t care what Breaker did to me anymore."

            "Please tell me that you did some serious damage to that son of a bitch?" Blake pleaded.

            "Nearly killed the bastard," Five confirmed.  "I wish to God I had, but I just didn’t care enough to make the effort.  I put him down, and then I just walked out and kept walking until eventually I ended up with One, and Unum took us both back.  Of course, now Breaker was after us both, but being together helped.  We were both basically zombies, though, until Seven."

            "So without the empath contribution, you guys can't feel?"

            "We can feel, but it's like, muted.  It just didn't affect me the way it would now.  It's hard to explain.  Suffice to say, we both jumped pretty hard on Seven when he integrated."  He rubbed the back of his neck.  "This is going to sound creepy, but One and I both knew from the start that Seven was what we needed, and we were both pretty much willing to commit murder to get him.  We knew by then what we'd been missing.  So when he came in, when I say we jumped on him, I mean we must have overwhelmed him, especially him being an empath, with how badly we needed him.  I know part of me was terrified that he wouldn't fully integrate.  Something was…  I don't know, it was a real confusing time, but something wasn't quite right about how he integrated, and I was scared to death he'd end up like Six.  But Seven latched onto us just as hard as we’d done to each other.  The three of us were…”  He smiled at Blake.  “We were strong together, Blake.  And we’ve been strong together, ever since.”

            “You said the initial integration was the worst thing,” Blake pointed out.  “But now you’re kind of acting like it’s the greatest thing in the world!”

            “The end result was good, but getting there sucked.”

            “And Unum wants to reintegrate you!”

            Five looked over, saw the worry on Blake’s face, and sighed.  “You know what, fuck it,” he said.  “I know my head’s messed up, but for some reason I just can’t stand seeing you upset!  What is it about you, Shelton, that we’re all breaking classification levels left and right, just to ease your mind?”

            Blake kept quiet and didn't change expression.

            “What Unum’s going to do to us isn’t like that first time,” Five explained.  “It’s not fun, man, I won’t lie, but it’s nothing like when Breaker first brought me into it.  Integration is basically a melding of minds.  You get brought together into a common point, and everything else just sort of follows.  Gah, I’m breaking classification levels to tell you this, and I’m doing a shitty job of it!  Um, lemme think.  Ok, you know how all of us seem know exactly what you talked about with any of us?  That’s integration.  We really are three parts of the same whole.  When we’re separate, I’m my own person, you know, my own thoughts and feelings.  But we can’t really stay separate.  Sooner or later, we’ll come together telepathically, wherever we happen to be.  We either do it by choice, or it happens automatically in a few days, so typically it’s something we do every night just to reset the clock, because we're kind of out of commission for a bit while it's going on.  What happens is that we share all the individual memories that we had from the last time we linked up, and what we end up with is two sets of memories, our own and the integrated.  Naturally, we don’t remember every single thing that happened to all three of us, no more than you remember everything that happens to you, but we have contribution from all three.  It ends up being a single memory that sometimes has us in three different places at the same time, but it’s a single shared memory.  There’s Me memory, and Us memory.  If you want a for instance?  I remember waiting back at the camp with Seven while One talked to you in the middle of the night.  But We remember that We came into your house because We saw you fall, and We tried to talk to you.  But you were drinking.  You got angry with Us, and you grabbed Us, shoved Us against the wall…”

            “Holy shit!”  Blake was squirming.  “I’m still sorry about that.”

            “We know,” Five said, waving his hand dismissively.  “I didn’t bring it up to accuse you or anything, it’s just a good example.  And it’s the basis, the foundation, of what we’re able to do.  In my case, it’s like mind over matter or chi or however you want to think of it.  My control over the physical body was expanded beyond my ability to heal.  The power of three joined minds enhances my natural ability in a way that makes my body stronger, more resilient, and able to heal itself much faster.  Having our memories split like that, it took a while to get used to, that is for sure.  And the more our individual memories separate, the harder it is when we integrate.  That’s why we try to stay together as much as we can.  Tonight we’re in three different places having three vastly different experiences, and integration is going to be a literal headache.”

            “So what’s Unum going to do to you?”

            "It's not bad," Five assured quickly.  “It's not like he's going to hurt us or anything like that.  There’s just a much stronger version of what we do anyway that he can facilitate back at LB1.  Doesn’t feel too good, having all your thoughts completely realigned to fall in step with two other guys, and we don’t enjoy it, but we all get the necessity.  It ends up with a much closer joining.  The resulting shared memory is considerably stronger, at the expense of the individual memories.  It’s a real possibility, for instance, that afterwards, we won’t be real sure about who was here talking to you tonight because we’ll all have this memory, and the We will be so much stronger than the Me.”

            “So this whole conversation, this lovely male bonding ritual we’ve done here tonight?  The next time I see you, all three of you are going to remember being here?”

            “And all three will be grateful,” Five said humbly.  “I wanted to be here for you, Blake, because I know how much it must have hurt you to see Seven with Unum.  Thank you for trusting me enough to confide in me like that.  But there's another reason we'll be grateful.”  He looked down.  “We don’t talk.  About Breaker.  We never shared our memories of him because we can't share anything that happened to us before we integrated.  Thank God for that!  I couldn't imagine how it would be, if One had to relive Breaker through seven of us!  So none of us really knows how it was for the others, what Breaker did to us.  And we’ve never talked about it.  I’ve never told anyone what he did to me.  You’re the first.”

            “Seriously?”  Blake shook his head.  “You three all went through the same torture, and you never talked about it?  Why the hell not?”

            “As One would say?  We’re blokes.”

            Blake laughed in spite of himself, but he immediately sobered.  “So basically, Unum wants to force your brains together, and after that, your individual memories will be decreased.  That’s to get your brains realigned, strengthen your integration?”

            “Basically, yes,” Five sighed.  “And he’s right.  We need it.  We lost One tonight and to be perfectly honest, I am still seriously fucked up in the head from whatever the hell he did to himself.  But it’s kind of hard to focus on it, because that’s what One does.  If I was drunk, he could basically think for me, but losing him?  That messed us up hard core.  We are in absolutely no shape to protect you tonight, Blake, but don't worry.  Our backup team is in place until we are.  Once Unum reintegrates us properly, gets us realigned?  That's when we're strongest.  We are the most codependent people in the world, but the end result makes us pretty valuable for a lot of reasons.”

            “Military application, espionage?” Blake guessed.

            “Among other things.  A fully integrated trio like ours is worth damned near all the gold in Fort Knox to the right people.  And that’s why people like Breaker exist.”

            “But that first time, forcing your minds together, was worse than the torture?”

            “It was horrible,” Five said simply.  “If I’d had any will of my own, I would have run screaming.  I was having this whole other person just grafted onto me.  It was unbelievably painful, and not just physical pain.  It was like the more his mind was shoved into me, the less me there was.  Blake, the further back I go into my memories of my past before Breaker took me, the more they may as well have happened to another person.  I remember winning the tri-state rodeo, for example, but the memory is like I watched it in a movie.  Did my heart pound?  Did my hands sweat?  No idea, because it doesn’t feel like that was me, like I was really there.  And those are memories that I do recall.  I read my own file and could tell you where I grew up, my parents’ names, and that they were divorced and my mom drank and my dad slapped me around.  I know I moved in with my uncle on his ranch in Texas because of that and I remember working as a cowboy while I went to medical school.  But I have no memory of my childhood at all.  The further back in time I try to remember from when I was integrated, the less there is."

            Blake gaped at him.  “Damn, that’s rough!  Wait, One went through that seven times?”

            "Yes and no.  He ended up with six other people stuck into his mind, but once we're integrated, there's, like, space in our heads for the other two.  He was actually the one who got grafted into other people, not the other way around.  Integration hollows you out, makes room for the trio even if there aren't three people there to join you.  When Six and Seven joined us, I remember feeling myself pushed into their minds, and it was confusing and disorienting as hell.  But it was worse for them.  They had two guys shoved into their heads, pushing out whatever was already there to make room.  God only knows what they lost.  But we all lost parts of ourselves to the integration."

            "You ever get it back?"

            Five shook his head.  "No.  We’ll never get it back, because we’ll never be able to get completely out of integration.  I’ll never be the person I was.  And it gets worse over time.  I’m in my third integrated year, and honestly, it was a shock, hearing my name at the blinds.  One’s even worse.  After four years of this, he doesn’t react to his name anymore at all.  Honestly, I’m not entirely sure he knows what it is.  And that’s why we find the sound of our own names so jarring.  It’s like, you wake up and everyone around you is calling you Carson Daly.  You even have these vague memories of being him, but they’re nothing like your memories of yourself.  Because the memory of being Blake Shelton feels true.  The We memory feels more true than the Me memory.”

            “And that’s why you don’t like using your names.”

            “That’s why we don’t like using our birth names,” Five corrected.  “The numbers are a convenience more than anything else.  The order Breaker integrated us, the number he branded into our arms.  But when we came out of integration that first time, we instinctively picked another name, something that really defined who we were then.  That’s what we consider our true name, and the only real way to separate us.”

            “Calling you this other name?”

            Five nodded.  “It’s the only thing that can bring us out of integration, back to the Me memory.  And that can be dangerous if it happens at the wrong time, so it’s not something I’ll give out lightly.  But I’ll give it to you.”

            Blake blinked.  “Huh?”

            “My name.  Nevaeh.”

            Blake felt absurdly touched.  “You didn’t have to do that, man.  But it means a lot that you trust me that much.”

            “Something about you, Shelton.  I don’t know.”  He looked down, suddenly shy.  “It’s the word ‘heaven’ spelled backwards, and I chose it because I’d just gone through hell.  Didn't know it's actually a girl's name, and frankly I don't care because it fit for me.  If you call me by that name, you’ll get me and me alone.  And I’m going to get in so much trouble if Unum finds out you know it, because that is the last thing he wants!  He wants me as part of the integrated whole, and I just gave you the key to pull me out of it for a little while.  But maybe, someday, you’ll need it.  If you ever do need me, just call, ok?  I’ll be there.”

            “I’m honored.  Are you sure it’s not One’s drunk talking, though?”

            “It might be,” Five confessed.  “But I’m still glad I told you.”

            “Then maybe I’ll push my luck,” Blake said, “and ask you one more thing.”

            “And what’s that?”

            “Why me?" Blake asked.  "I’m nothing special.  I’m not a telepath or an empath or a tactile healer or anything else.  My eyes don’t glow.  I’m not one of you, right?”

            “Seven could actually tell better than anyone else, but no.  I don’t think so.”

            “So what is it about me that is important enough to get the three of you assigned to protect me?” Blake asked.  “Flattered someone cares enough to assign basically the Avengers to guard me, but honestly, why?”

            “I don’t know,” Five confessed.  “I wish I did.  I wondered, and I know One has, too.  Seven still thinks it’s related somehow to something to do with him.  But I don’t know what it could be.  Sure, Seven’s ability is the rarest and we’d be pretty messed up again without him.  I know I don’t want to go back to how it was, when we lost Six.  But if you take our empath, you’ll drive us insane and we’ll come after you.  Breaker found that out the hard way, didn’t he?”  He shrugged.  “Seven doesn’t lead us, that’s One.  So going after Seven makes no sense.”

            "One leads you."  Blake considered this.  “Every one of you guys latched onto One once you were integrated.  So, control One, and control all three of you?”

            Five looked troubled.  “I honestly never thought about it like that.  The only people who are still connected to One are me and Seven, and you saw how we were tonight when he got compromised.  But yeah, I guess you’re right.  One directs our We memory, and Seven and I both pretty much fall in line.  So if someone manipulates One, we all end up manipulated.  Hell, we’ve certainly had experience with that happening!”  Five’s face darkened.

            Blake gave a low whistle, and then he started to laugh.  When Five cocked an eyebrow at him, he explained.  “You three are like a superhero team, and the key to controlling you is to control One.  And where is One right now?”

            And now Five understood.  His laughter joined with Blake, both of them vastly amused by the idea of a superhero team controlled by Miley Cyrus.

            But in the morning, when Five literally vanished from the breakfast table right in front of Blake’s astonished eyes, Blake wasn’t laughing anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jackatlas1996 - Second **GOLD STAR** for calling Breaker being with the Company!


	11. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven spends some private time with Unum at LB1, but there's somewhere else he'd rather be

            Seven leaned on the window of LB1, his chin resting on his crossed arms on the windowsill.  His eyes were fixed on the beautiful orb that shone in the sky outside, painting everything a soft blue.  All he could think about was Blake.  His friend’s pain had lanced through Seven's empathic senses like a knife when Unum had revealed the truth of their relationship.  Even Unum himself had admitted that it was a crummy thing to do.  But Seven placed the blame for the entire fiasco squarely on his own shoulders.  He should have told Blake about Unum the moment he’d sensed that Blake still had feelings for him.  And he couldn’t even make himself understand why he hadn’t.

            Seven had gone into their conversation back at the bar believing that Blake was confused, that once Blake realized what had happened, why he’d ended up with guns to his head, he’d want nothing more to do with him.  But that hadn’t happened.  And the emotion that had come from Blake when he’d grabbed him, yelled at him that he wasn’t angry, that he’d never blamed Seven for what had happened?  That even more than the words had convinced Seven that he’d been dead wrong about Blake.

            In retrospect, should he have known?  It was ironic that an empath knew so little about emotions, but all his life, Seven had realized that people frequently said one thing and felt something else.  It made being in a serious relationship with someone difficult at best.  But Blake?  Blake had gotten down on his knees, taken his hand, and swore to stand by his side.  And at the time, he’d meant it, with all his heart.  Blake, his dear, sweet, silly, wonderful Blake, finally admitting that he loved him!  It had killed him to not immediately throw himself into Blake’s arms, tell him everything and beg Blake to help him, save him, take him away!  But the guard was standing right there, her hand on the syringe in her pocket, a silent warning.  He couldn’t tell Blake, couldn’t let him know that he had to come in, that he no longer had a choice, and he’d never see those loving blue eyes looking at him like that again.  Even then, he’d known that there was no going back.  Blake’s heartfelt vow had come too late.

            But what did it matter?  Blake was in love with a memory that didn’t exist anymore.  Adam Levine was long gone.  Seven had made his choices, and there was no going back now.  He’d started his relationship with Unum, and that was good.  Unum had saved him, and was the one person in his life who had never tried to hide his feelings.  Seven knew that Unum honestly loved him, despite knowing exactly what he was.  Unum knew more about Seven than Seven did himself, and yet loved him anyway.  Always before, the empath had tried to put the needs of the other person in his relationships before his own, usually with disastrous results.  It was precisely the reason he’d waited too long to tell Blake how he’d really felt, and look at how that turned out!  But now, for the first time in his life, someone tried to put him first.  That drew Seven like a moth to a flame.  He knew his brothers weren’t happy, and sooner or later, he’d have to sit down with all three of them and really talk things over.  His brothers needed to understand that Unum was important to him, and Unum really needed to treat his brothers better.  As it was now, Seven felt like a dampening rod in a nuclear reactor when Unum and his brothers were in the same room, constantly easing the tension, keeping everyone from exploding.  Tomorrow, when Unum recalled them for reintegration, was not going to be easy.  Seven wasn’t looking forward to it.  But maybe, after Unum reintegrated them again, they could talk?  It was certainly long overdue.

            But perhaps talking more with Blake was even more overdue?  After all, his problems with Blake predated his problems with his brothers and Unum.  And being around Blake soothed a part of Seven that not even Unum could reach.

            Here he went again, lost in thought about Blake.  Seven sighed, his eyes on the sky.

             “You look so lovely in that light,” Unum called, coming up behind him to put his hands on his shoulders.  “My beautiful empath.  I’ve missed you, my Seven.”

            “I missed you, too,” Seven replied automatically.  His eyes were still on the sky.  He'd been at the window for a while now, waiting while Unum checked in and made certain there would be no fallout from the bar fight.  Part of him, a big part, wished that Unum hadn't taken him here.  He was worried about Blake.  Hopefully, Five would stay with him and could help.  Seven himself had no way to get back to Blake without Unum's help, and he knew Unum had no intention of letting him go tonight.  Unum had told the truth when he’d confessed to Blake that he was a jealous man.  Asking to be sent back would make him hurt and angry, and lead to a fight.  He’d have to trust Five and hope for the best.

            Besides, part of him really had missed Unum.

            The Shard leader’s arms went around Seven’s slender waist, pulling him close.  He leaned in, kissing the empath’s neck.  “Did you really?” he asked.  “Did you even think about me?  I did wonder how you would feel, seeing him again.”

            “Can we not talk about Blake right now?” Seven asked.  “My head is still all kinds of fucked up.  Do we even know what One got himself into?”

            “Some kind of drug, I imagine.  The location he's currently in is deemed safe, but I can flash him out if you’re worried?”

            Seven didn’t miss the reluctance in the offer and shook his head.  “If he’s not in any danger, he’s probably fine wherever he is.”

            The other man obviously considered that an invitation.  The arms around him tightened, Unum’s kisses moving along Seven’s cheek, his body pressing against the empath in obvious desire as the lips sought his mouth.  Seven turned away and pushed at his arms.  “I’m really not in the mood tonight, Unum, ok?  Let me go.”

            Unum froze.  “But I haven’t seen you in weeks!”

            “Yes, and those weeks have not been easy!  You know I had a ton of shit to work through, and tonight a lot of that came to a head.”

            The arms around him tightened more as Unum bristled.  “You’re confused about Shelton.”

            “Of course I am!” Seven exclaimed, squirming.  “I haven’t seen the guy in a year, and it turns out he’s still got feelings for me.  Strong feelings, Unum, battering at me like a ram, and all mixed in with confusion and shame and grief…  Bad enough coming out onto that set and going back to that damned chair.  But Blake?  Unum, when he saw me…”

            Unum let him go and took his shoulders, turning the empath to face him.  His eyes were cold.  “And here I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about it?”

            “Well, you took me out here to talk, didn’t you?” Seven pointed out, shrugging free.  “So let’s talk.”

            One glance at Unum was enough to know that talking was the last thing he’d had in mind, even if Seven hadn’t been able to sense his feelings.  The Shard leader’s lust was as evident from the bulge between his legs as anything else, pressing up against Seven every time Unum pulled him close from the moment they’d arrived.  Seven had sensed his desire as soon as the man had seen him at the police station and had known immediately that Unum would take him back to LB1 tonight.  He hadn’t expected to be asked, either.  Unum hadn’t seen him in weeks, and hadn’t expected any sort of argument.  Seven was just glad that the Shard leader had controlled himself as much as he had in front of Blake.  But now that they were alone, Unum clearly wanted him.  Any other time, Seven would have given him what he wanted just to clear his head, let their conversation have a chance.  But tonight he simply wanted left alone.

            Unfortunately, Unum was not at all accustomed to not getting what he wanted.  His face darkened into a scowl of disapproval.  “You want to go back to Shelton!”

            Seven frowned.  “Where the hell did you get that?”

            “You want to leave me, and go crawling back to that overly-handsome hillbilly with the long legs and the big blue eyes and the dimples!”

            He rolled his eyes.  “For fuck’s sake, Unum!”

            “I’m sorry I’m not a sex god like him!” Unum yelled, looking deeply hurt.  “But he wasn’t the one who carried you out of Breaker’s lair, was he, my Seven?  No, that was me!”

            “Yes, it was,” Seven agreed, straining to keep his temper.  “You saved me, not him.  I chose you, and I’m with you right now, not him!”

            “Only because I flashed you out here and you can't go back without me!” Unum accused.  “Otherwise, well, he defended your honor tonight, didn’t he?  Got into a fight for you, all southern charm and chivalry!  How romantic!”  He sneered.  “If anyone had dared to lay a hand on you in my presence?  There would be nothing left to bury!”

            Seven rubbed his temples.  “Dude, I am so not in the mood for this right now.”

            “Yes, you’ve already said that!” Unum said crossly.

            “I mean I’m not in the mood to fight with you!  Unum, why are you acting like this?  You really do not look good in green, so please drop the jealous shtick?”

            Unum’s eyes were looking through him again.  "Did you forget I can read your thoughts, my Seven?  You're thinking of him, hoping that Five can help him.  You're not thinking about me at all!"

            "Yes, and that is why I really do not want to do this tonight!  I can't give you my full attention, and that isn't fair to either of us.  Can we please just…?"

            “I’m pulling the three of you off of this assignment,” Unum suddenly declared.  “You especially shouldn’t have been on this project in the first place.  You’re too close to the subject!  I want you all stationed here again, deployed only on short, high-value missions.  That was best all around.”

            Seven sputtered.  “That’s…!  No!”

            “Why not?” Unum challenged.  “It makes sense, from a tactical standpoint, to put a different team on this guard detail.  Elton can handle it.  The three of you could serve better elsewhere anyway, for short deployments on high-value missions rather than extended detail.  Besides, you and your brothers are far too valuable as assets to be babysitting some damned cowboy!”

            “Oh bullshit!” Seven exclaimed, finally losing his temper.  “You’re not thinking tactics, you’re thinking that you could keep us here, keep my brothers under your control, and keep me away from Blake!”

            “And what, exactly, is wrong with that?”  Unum grabbed Seven’s arm.  “You are mine, my Seven!  All three of you are, but you more than any!”

            “Oh no, not this again,” Seven groaned.  “I'm so fucking sick of your possessiveness, Unum!  I have had to listen to this since the day you forced me to leave him behind and come in!”

            “Do you still resent me for that?  My Seven, I had to bring you in!  Breaker outed you to the public.  Anyone who knew what we are knew what was inside of you then, and you’re an empath, the final missing piece of the triad!  It would have been a free for all to try to get control of you!  I can’t help that stupid idiot Shelton finally realized what he’d lost when Breaker took you.  I can’t help that he fell in love with you!  I had to act!  Besides, you gave him a chance, and he turned you down!”

            “Yes, and I let you take me in that night, didn’t I?  I played by the rules, didn't give anything away and let your operative take me, let you flash me here even after Blake said..."  Seven swallowed hard.  Then he looked back at Unum, frowning.  "But would you just consider for one moment what that must have been like for Blake?  What he must have thought?”  He shook his head.  “I figured he’d be better off without me.  I believed that he’d end up resenting me for Breaker’s men threatening him just to make me hold still and it wouldn’t ever work between us.  But tonight…?”

            Unum’s grip on Seven’s arm grew painfully tight.  “What about tonight?”

            “Tonight, we talked about it,” Seven reported, angrily pulling his arm away.  “And I had him all wrong!  He’s been waiting for me all this time, wanting to go back to how things were before Breaker took me, before Oklahoma…”

            “And what are you going to do?”  Unum’s voice was low.

            “My job!” Seven snapped.  “I'll protect him, because you said he needs protecting.  That’s why you sent me back in the first place, isn’t it?  Or was that Dr. Murray’s doing?”

            “It was Elton’s, actually,” Unum confessed.  He’d pinched his lips into a thin line.  “I disagreed, but I’m one voice out of three, and Murray backed Elton.  I suspected then, and I suspect now, that they did it just to put you into a situation where you’d be forced to confront your past, and Shelton along with it.  And of course, Murray was all for that!  ‘Make a better operative out of him,’ you know?”  His voice was high as he mocked Dr. Murray.  “She still thinks you’re not fit as an operative, even though you have completed every mission you’ve been sent on.  So I suspect you were being tested on this one.  And you failed tonight, my empath.”

            “Whatever, she doesn’t run Shard so she can kiss my ass.  And I should have known this whole thing was more of Elton’s therapy.”  Seven groaned.  “That explains why I was dumped onto the set with no warning.  It was a damned shitty thing to do, but that’s pure Elton.  And I’m sure Murray was standing by to take notes.  That sadistic bitch probably hoped I’d break the moment I saw Blake!”

            “Of that, I have no doubt.  She hates you, my Seven, and would enjoy little more than to see you break.”

            “Fuck her.  She'd want me to break just so she can have One and Five back on base again.”  Seven sighed.  “Elton’s right, though.  I’m the best asset for the job, given my history.  No one is going to think twice about me being around Blake.”

            "Except, of course, for your boyfriend.”  Unum looked sadly at Seven.  “Do my feelings even matter?  Shelton isn’t the only one who finds this entire situation painful, you know!  I have been here for weeks, wondering, not knowing how you felt, if you’d even want to come back to me!  Did you even think of me at all while you were with him?"

            Seven winced, feeling the pain that washed through Unum.  He immediately moved forward and kissed him.  "I chose you, Unum,” he said simply.  “I’m not the one who loved Blake, remember?  This isn't about me and you, or even me and Blake.  It's just the job, ok?  I'm still the best Shard operative for this job, and the board agrees."

            “I’ve been writing a proposal for the board, actually,” the Shard leader declared.  “I disagree that Shelton is a target critical enough to warrant an extended deployment of our most powerful assets.  I want the three of you brought back here, the sooner the better.”

            “You cannot keep us on this base forever, Unum!” Seven yelled.  “I had headaches damned near every day from trying to keep them calm.  My brothers were ready to explode!”

            “They certainly exploded tonight, didn’t they?  A bar fight, imagine!”

            “And what do you think will happen if you keep us here?  You want to replace another table after Five tries to break it over your head?  Or do you want to spend another six hours searching for One after he runs off and hides just to get away from you?”

            “We could have found him immediately if he hadn't convinced Hardwire to shut down the tracer bracelets!  Or if you or my Five had simply told us where he was!  I still cannot believe you had him hidden in your quarters, my Seven!”

            “He didn’t want to be found!” Seven exclaimed, throwing his hands out in exasperation.  “We told you that!  You’d been riding him for days, forcing him to work at Dr. Murray’s project when you know damned well how much he hates her.  She locked him in with Hardwire for twenty-six hours straight working on her project, did you know that?”

            “Dr. Murray’s project had been cleared by the board, and my One was assigned to assist.  The length of time wasn’t specified.  But trying to escape his assigned area was a serious infraction, and so was using telepathic suggestion on a project leader!”

            “She exhausted him!” Seven insisted.  “All three of us could feel how exhausted he was, but she wouldn’t let him stop!  When he finally used his powers to get out, he could have run off and hid anywhere on the base.  Instead he came back to Shard and just hid in my quarters so he could sleep.  He wasn’t trying to run away.  He just needed everyone to leave him the hell alone for a while!"

            "He got his wish."

            Seven scowled horribly.  "You mean when you locked all three of us in our quarters and turned on that fucking containment field, kept us separated for three days?  I thought I'd go crazy, Unum!  We all did!  Is it any wonder that as soon as you dropped the field, Five tried to brain you with that table?"

            “Which was yet another unacceptable violation!”

            “That you wanted to throw him back into isolation for!  If I hadn’t threatened to stop talking to you…?”

            “Something that we still need to discuss, my Seven.  Isolation is a perfectly acceptable form of discipline...”

            “Damn it, Unum!”  Seven was yelling again.  “You know how much that hurts us!  There isn’t a single thing you can do to us that is worse than separating us for an extended period of time.  We’re too reliant on each other!  I couldn’t think, I was so weak I could barely move, and my brothers said they felt like zombies the whole time.  Once we could sense each other, it took us hours to reintegrate, and then we were all woozy as hell!  How could you do that to us?”

            "The three of you certainly had a new appreciation of your integration afterwards, didn't you?"  Unum sighed and shook his head.  "I told you I was sorry I locked you up.  I knew it would be hard.  That's why I called you every day, talked with you as much as I could to get you through it.  But I couldn't let an indiscretion like that go unpunished!"

            "And that there is the rub,” Seven declared.  “You told _me_ that you were sorry you locked _me_ up, and you tried to help _me_!  But what about my brothers?  You barely even checked on them!”

            “Visitation kind of defeats the purpose of isolation, don’t you think?”  He sighed again.  “I knew you were hurting, and I knew I shouldn’t have interfered.  But I couldn’t stand to see you in pain, my love.  I broke the rules for that, and was reprimanded myself!”

            “You’re missing the point, Unum.  We were all hurting, but you basically let my brothers rot!  And when you finally let us out, you fell all over yourself to try to make it up to me, but you told One and Five that if they ever pulled that shit again, you'd lock us up for even longer next time!  Why do you have to be such a dick to them all the time, Unum?”

            Unum straightened, looking wounded.  “So now I’m a dick!”

            “You’re such a fucking control freak with them!” Seven accused.  “I swear, if you could put shock collars on them, you'd do it!  I don’t get it, Unum!  You let me do pretty much whatever I want so long as I come when I’m called, but my brothers have to beg and plead just for permission to go for a walk outside the Shard section!  It isn’t right, it was never right, and how many times are we going to have this same fucking argument about it?  Why do you have to keep them on such a tight leash?”

            Unum crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest.  “You know damned well why!”

            “Because Breaker made them?  That’s a bullshit excuse and you know it!”

            “My Seven, you are the only one, the _only_ one, that I integrated myself, so you do not understand,” Unum declared.  “You, I can trust.  But them?  They’re tainted!  You saw the tapes of them when they were first brought in.  My One was practically catatonic, closer to a telepathic zombie than an asset.  And my Five stayed with Breaker for nearly a year and a half after he was integrated!  God only knows what he’s had implanted into his head!”

            “And I’m integrated with them!” Seven shot back.  “If there was anything there to worry about, I’d know it first, don’t you think?”

            Unum took Seven's shoulders, giving him a pleading look.  “Oh my baby, you’re an empath, not a telepath!  My One directs your integrated memory, not you.  He could so easily hide an implanted suggestion, especially if he didn’t know one was there!”

            Seven angrily pulled away.  “You either trust them, or you don’t!  There isn’t a halfway, ok?  My Shard brothers and I have successfully completed every mission you sent us on, and we’ll complete this one, too.  Yes, we fucked up tonight, and Elton’s team is getting overtime as a result to keep Blake covered.  That puts them all at greater risk because we aren’t there.  I get it, alright?  We should have paid closer attention to One, and I will admit that I bear the biggest blame for that because I wanted to talk to Blake.”  He sighed, seeing Unum’s face darken again.  “I can handle Blake, ok?  I know the guy.  Now that he knows I’m taken, he won’t push it.  And meanwhile, I can help him cope, ease the pain a bit and help him move on.”

            “It’s not him moving on that I’m worried about, my Seven.  You and your brothers have all been showing an alarming amount of questionable judgement calls around Shelton.  What’s going on?  You’ve never had so much difficulty keeping your covers!  Back at the car tonight, I could hear Shelton thinking that you could sense what he was feeling.  Now, whatever would make a simple country singer suspect anything unusual about you, much less believe that you could somehow sense his feelings?”

            Seven went pale.  “We’ll be ok.  We can complete the mission.  Don’t take us off of this project, Unum, please!”

            Unum cocked an eyebrow.  “Please, even?”

            Seven leaned on his fists on the table, his back to the Shard leader.  “Yes, please.  I owe this to Blake, to try to save him.  He’s still important to me, ok?  I can’t let Terra get their hands on him!  He’s one of the best friends I ever had!”

            “Which is yet another reason you should be reassigned.  He’s bringing up your memories of Adam Levine, my Seven.  Ah, that got you, didn’t it?” he said, seeing Seven flinch.  “Adam Levine is a virus in the mainframe, and the more time you spend with Shelton, the more that virus spreads.  You’re already out of alignment!  You realize that, right?"  He moved closer, taking the empath's chin and looking into his eyes.  "Look at you!  You’re not yourself, my Seven.  You used to be my sweet, loving empath, so eager to please, always wanting to make everyone happy, but now?  You’re resentful, you’re angsty, and you’re even cold to me!”  He pounded his chest in emphasis.  “To me, the one who loves you more than anyone else ever has!  The one who knows you, who you really are, and puts you on a pedestal and would give you the entire world if you asked for it!  It’s not your brothers that I’m worried about, my Seven.  I can control them.  You’re the one that’s slipping away!  You’re falling out of integration, and both of your brothers are falling out as well because you’re not centering them!”

            “So fucking reintegrate me already!” Seven cried, clenching his fists.  “If I’m so far off, then bring me back in!”

            “I can’t!  My One is still green compromised, and my Five I sent home with Shelton.  The latter was likely a mistake, but no matter.  In the morning, I’ll flash them both up here, and take the three of you to Father.  But in the meantime?”  The man moved up behind Seven, his rail thin arms going around him again as his voice grew soft.  “In the meantime,” Unum said into his ear, “I missed you.  I've missed you so much, my empath.  Every day away from you is torture!  Won’t you please just let us have this time?  It’s so rare that we can be alone.”

            Seven shut his eyes.  “Unum…”

            “We don’t need to make love.  Just be here with me for a while.  We can walk a bit, and talk?”

            He sighed.  “Alright.”

            Of course, it was no surprise to Seven when, less than an hour later, Unum was pushing him down onto the elaborate bed in Unum's personal quarters, kissing him and moaning eagerly as his hands rushed to pull off the empath’s clothes.  Somehow, Unum always got what he wanted.  It was the last thing Seven wanted to do, but he didn’t protest.  He supposed he owed it to Unum. 

            Besides, for all his awkward appearance, Unum was a skillful lover.  It also helped that Seven was an empath.  He was able to tell instantly when he was doing something that Unum liked, and was able to reflect what he was feeling back to the Shard leader.  It almost always made for a great fuck.

            “So lovely,” Unum was moaning, even as his hands ran over Seven’s twisting mass of scars, his ruined tattoos.  “You’re so beautiful, my Seven, my darling empath, and I missed you so much!”

            “I missed you too,” Seven replied, truthful this time.  He did have feelings for Unum, and he had missed his boyfriend, missed the stability and safety the man offered.  Nothing could hurt him while the Shard leader was around.  Seven could relax.  He did now, letting out a soft moan as Unum prepped him, the long lubricated fingers working into his body and sending waves of pleasure through him.  He’d needed this, Seven decided, needed a reprieve from the violence and secrets and stress that was part of what he did.  Needed someone to pamper him, adore him, call him beautiful despite the disfiguring scars that covered his body, and keep him safe just for tonight.  And no one did that better than Unum.

            But then Unum had to ruin it by suddenly seizing his hips and dragging him towards the edge of the bed until his legs were off the side.  Seven tensed, recognizing Unum’s favorite position and the one he liked the least.  “Don’t!” he exclaimed, struggling as Unum grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms back.  “Come on, not like this!  Don’t do this again!”

            “Let me have this, my Seven!  I’m sorry, but just let me have it,” Unum pleaded.  “Please, my empath, you know I need it!”

            The empath could feel his need, his desperate desire to dominate, and forced himself to relax.  Unum knew how much Seven hated this position, face down on the bed with his legs off the side, Unum using his greater strength to hold tight to Seven's wrists, pulling him back by his arms to meet his thrusts.  Everything about it, from the strain on his shoulders to the fact that there was little to nothing he could do to get away, reminded Seven too much of Breaker.  It made him feel helpless, and he hated it.

            But really, it was a rare occasion that it happened.  Seven could sense Unum’s lingering insecurity and doubt, the usual triggers for this need to dominate him, fading away as Seven relaxed.  If he made a fuss now, not only would Unum be angry and more inclined than ever to pull them back to LB1, but his insecurity and doubt would only increase.  Best to just let it happen.  It would mean so much to him, Seven told himself, and was it that big of a deal?  So Unum was using a position he wasn’t comfortable with.  It’s not like the Shard leader was raping him, right?

            Besides, somehow or another, Unum always got what he wanted.


	12. Hardwire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven pays a visit to Hardwire

            The nightmare woke Seven, his scream raw in his throat.  Unum cursed savagely even as he held tightly to the panicking empath.  "Shhh, it's alright," he soothed.  "I've got you, baby.  You're with me, here in my quarters on LB1, and you’re safe."

            Seven panted, clinging to Unum's arms as the nightmare faded, grateful for the Shard leader's unnatural strength.  He groaned.  "Sorry.  Breaker again, coming back to take me away again.  I feel like I won’t ever stop having nightmares about him!"

            "It's alright.  It's all this stress, isn't it?"  Unum cuddled him closely, even as his own body shook from the aftereffects of the terror the empath had unconsciously sent washing through him during the nightmare.  He sighed.  "That was a bad one.  My heart is pounding!  But you're here with me, safe.”

            “Thank God.”  Seven shuddered.  “I’m really glad you’re here, Unum.  You’re pretty much the only one who can make me feel safe after I dream about Breaker.”

            “Well, I’m here, and you are, too.  It's where you should stay!  You so rarely had nightmares while you were stationed here."

            “Don’t take us off of this project,” Seven pleaded.  "Can we at least talk about it more in the morning?"

            “We'll talk about it,” Unum replied sleepily.  He pulled Seven closer, snuggling into his side, already half asleep again.  “And I’m sorry, about all of it.  I just need to know you’re coming back to me.”

            “I’m here, aren’t I?”

            “Yes, you’re here.”  Unum nuzzled against him.  “But you want to go now.”

            “I want to get up, yeah.  Let me go.”

            Unum loosened his grip with obvious reluctance.  Seven got up, pulling his clothes back on as Unum sprawled contentedly back in the bed.  "Where are you going, my lovely one?" Unum asked, watching him.

            “I'm up for a while after that, I think.  Is Hardwire over that virus yet?”

            “Finally back to himself as of last week.  Why?”

            Seven shrugged.  “Just wanted to talk to him.  Haven't seen him in a while, and I'm betting he's awake.  Will you let me out, authorize me for the Data section?”

            “Suit yourself.”  He snagged Seven’s wrist as he went to stand and pulled him down for a kiss.  Then he gently traced the pads of his fingers over the tracer bracelet the empath wore.  The authorizations appeared as glowing runes that quickly faded, but would be instantly recognized by the security systems of LB1.  Finished, he let go and waved a hand, psychically opening the door to his chambers to allow Seven to leave.  “Authorization is for a single exit and single entry the whole way through.  Enjoy your talk, my empath, but don’t stay up too late.  I want you back in your quarters in no less than two hours."

            Seven nodded, giving him another kiss.  “I'll be there.  Thanks."

            Leaving Unum’s personal quarters, Seven used the authorization on his bracelet on the heavily reinforced main door of Shard section and set off into the base.  LB1 largely ignored day/night cycles.  Once Seven left the familiar confines of Shard, the halls bustled with activity.  He acknowledged a few greetings from staff he knew, ignored the Operations section and turned towards the section of the facility that housed Data, Dr. Murray’s division.  Hardwire was here.  Bypassing the server room, Seven raised his tracer bracelet to the scanner to activate his temporary access.  The door opened, and he headed inside.

            “Hey, buddy,” he called.

            HELLO SHARD SEVEN.  WELCOME BACK TO LB1!

            Seven smiled as he read the words flashing across the giant monitor covering one wall, but as usual, he turned away, addressing his remarks directly to the lone figure in the room.  “Thanks, Hardwire!  I was glad to hear you got rid of that virus.”

            The image of a close-up fisted hand with the middle finger extended appeared on the screen.

            FUCKING TERRA HACKER ASSHOLES!  SORRY THAT I COULDN'T WARN YOU SOONER ABOUT THOSE MERCS THEY SICCED ON SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON, BUT I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE.  I HAD TO BURN HUGE CHUNKS OF MEMORY TO GET THAT VIRUS OUT.  TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO BURN IT ALL OUT, AND TWO MORE TO REPLACE THE LOST INFORMATION FROM THE DATA STORAGE.  GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT ELSE I MISSED WHILE I WAS OFFLINE. 

            BUT I GOT THEM GOOD!  HACKED ALL THEIR CELL PHONES AND PUT THE NASTIEST GRANNY PORN I COULD FIND IN ALL THEIR PICTURE FILES INCLUDING THEIR WALLPAPER.  GOOD LUCK EXPLAINING THAT WHEN THEY PULL THOSE PHONES OUT IN PUBLIC!

            OF COURSE, SOME OF THEM MIGHT LIKE IT…

            Seven laughed.  “Good for you!  Maybe they’ll think twice before trying to hack you again, huh?”

            CONSIDERING I ALSO FRIED ALL THEIR SYSTEMS, THEY’LL HAVE TO REBUILD BEFORE THEY CAN TRY TO HACK ME AGAIN.  BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME.  HOW IS SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON?

            Seven laughed again as the sound of “Honeybee” filled the room and Blake's picture appeared on the monitor, surrounded by flashing hearts.  Hardwire was a big fan of country music in general and Blake in particular.  “I see your crush on him is still as strong as ever!”

            More hearts appeared around Blake’s picture as “Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet” filled the room.

            Seven rolled his eyes.  “Blake’s as good as can be expected, considering he just found out the hard way about me and Unum.”

            Blake's picture on the screen was replaced by an image file of a child blowing a raspberry with her thumbs in her ears and her fingers waggling.  SHARD UNUM IS AN ASSHOLE!

            “Well, he could have handled that a lot better, but he’s not that bad,” Seven defended, feeling uncomfortable.

            BULLSHIT.  BUT YOU DID NOT COME HERE TO SPEAK OF SHARD UNUM, AND FOR THAT, I THANK YOU.  HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

            “Honeybee,” Seven explained.  “I need you to pull up the files on Project Honeybee.”

            The screen went blank for a moment.

            PROJECT HONEYBEE EXCEEDS YOUR CLASSIFICATION LEVEL, SHARD SEVEN.

            “I know.”

            The curser on the monitor that took up most of the room blinked.  There was no sound except for the constant hum of the fans keeping the air circulated.  Seven waited, his eyes on the shrunken figure that floated in liquid at the center of the room.  Hardwire had no eyes or ears, no nose, a lipless opening for a mouth, and only stumps for limbs.  His birth defects were so severe that he should have died long ago.  But now he floated in his transparent column, sustained through tubes.  A mass of cables resembling Gorgon hair wound up from his exposed oversized brain, connecting to ports that in turn fed into the huge bank of servers in the next room.  The cyborg served as the center of the massive computer systems of LB1, able to analyze data faster and with more accuracy than any machine.  He was, in fact, the one who had discovered Seven’s empathic abilities, and had apologized profusely that the Terra hackers had managed to steal his file.  Hardwire wasn’t easy to look at, but Seven considered him a friend.  He was able to use his power as an empath to help the cyborg battle crippling depression, but in Hardwire’s case, Seven didn’t just tamp down the negative emotions.  Instead, he regularly shared, connecting with Hardwire, and through Seven’s senses, Hardwire was able to experience human emotions rather than the cold sterile machines that were his life.  The cyborg was always grateful and eager for more.  In return, Hardwire gleefully leaked secrets that Seven had no business knowing.  Most of it wasn’t classified.  Hardwire knew more gossip than a town full of old women, and passed nearly all of it on to him.  Seven wondered again how old he was.  In a lot of ways, Hardwire acted like a teenager.  But then again, considering his unique situation, how much maturity could anyone expect?

            SHARD UNUM CLOSELY MONITORS ACCESS TO PROJECT HONEYBEE, the monitor flashed at last.  HE WILL KNOW YOU LOOKED INTO THE FILES.  THERE IS ALREADY A DRAFT ON FILE OF HIS REQUEST TO THE BOARD TO HAVE SHARD ASSETS RECALLED TO LB1.  IF YOU PROCEED, YOU MAY ADD URGENCY TO THIS REQUEST.  IS THIS WHAT YOU WISH TO DO?

            Seven clenched his teeth in frustration.  He couldn’t risk that.  “Is there anything you can give me that he doesn’t monitor?  Anything at all?”

            ACCESSING AVAILABLE FILES…

            Seven waited, trying to control his emotions.  He knew that even this much activity would be logged, but it was a risk he was willing to take.  He needed to know why Blake was in danger, and only Hardwire could tell him that.

            SUBJECT BLAKE T. SHELTON, OCCUPATION ENTERTAINER.  INITIAL SHARD CONTACT VIA SUBJECT ADAM N. LEVINE, SEE FILES ON SHARD SEVEN.  SUBSEQUENT UNAUTHORIZED SHARD CONTACT LOGGED THREE MONTHS AGO.

            “Subsequent unauthorized Shard contact?”  That was disturbing.

            CONFIRMED, UNAUTHORIZED SHARD CONTACT REGISTERED THREE MONTHS AGO.  PROJECT HONEYBEE INITIATED IN RESPONSE TWO DAYS LATER.

            “Wait, two days later?  But we didn’t get assigned until two weeks ago!”

            CONFIRMED.  PROJECT HONEYBEE WAS CREATED IN RESPONSE TO INITIAL UNAUTHORIZED SHARD CONTACT.  ASSIGNED LEVEL DELTA, OBJECTIVE TO MONITOR FOR FURTHER UNAUTHORIZED SHARD CONTACT.  PROJECT HONEYBEE ELEVATED TO LEVEL ALPHA AND SHARD ASSETS ASSIGNED AFTER FOURTH SUBSEQUENT UNAUTHORIZED SHARD CONTACT DETECTED.

            “Fourth contact?  He’s been contacted four times?  What the fuck?”

            ANY FURTHER INFORMATION WILL TRIGGER PROTOCOLS AND ALERT SHARD UNUM.  WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, SHARD SEVEN?

            “I don’t know,” Seven confessed.  “This doesn’t make any sense.  Why would anyone associated with Shard contact Blake without authorization, much less four times?”

            CLASSIFIED.

            “Yeah, I know.”  Seven rubbed at the back of his head, feeling tired and confused.  “I gotta think about this, talk to Blake, try to figure this out.”

            WILL YOU SHARE TONIGHT, SHARD SEVEN?  IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME.

            “Yeah, of course, buddy.”  Seven moved towards the column and put his hands on it.  His glowing eyes fixed on where Hardwire’s would be if he had them as he focused.  He could hear a faint whir as Hardwire trained cameras on him.  The cyborg seemed to enjoy recording this process and watching it later.

            Almost immediately, Seven could feel the cyborg’s awe, pleasure, and gratitude.  The empath, knowing Hardwire, focused primarily on Blake.  Hardwire’s crush on Blake was legendary, and after tonight, Seven had a lot to share about the country singer.  When he’d first started sharing emotions with Hardwire, he’d been reluctant to share the negative.  But the cyborg craved the entire experience so much that Seven had quickly lost the reluctance, willingly sharing everything.  Hardwire would never leave LB1, never have anything resembling a normal life.  As a result, he lived vicariously through Seven.  For that, he wanted the bad as well as the good.  Seven shifted through his memories, sharing what he’d felt tonight with Blake, the feelings from the bar fight, and everything that had come after.  He didn’t even hesitate to share his experiences tonight with Unum.  Hardwire would never know sexual contact, and Seven had never held back.

            Eventually Seven broke contact, dropping into a chair.  Opening up that much to another person was always a bit draining and left him feeling somewhat light-headed.  Seeing as how he was already feeling the effects of whatever One had done, tonight was a bit worse than usual.  “I’m alright,” he called, hearing the cameras whir to close in on him again.  “Just a bit woozy.”

            YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING.  BEING AROUND SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON HAS BEEN HARD ON YOU, MY FRIEND.

            “I’m not as drunk as I look and sound right now,” Seven confessed.  “Apparently One got into something.”

            A sad emoji appeared on the monitor.  SHARD UNUM WILL NOT BE PLEASED.  SHARD ONE WILL BE DISCIPLINED.

            “Yeah, I know.  But I’ll make sure he’s not too hard on One.”

            The cursor seemed to hesitate, and then it moved again.  WHY ARE YOU WITH SHARD UNUM?  HE MADE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE SEVERAL TIMES TONIGHT, AND IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME.  YOU RESENT HOW HE COVETS AND CONTROLS YOU, AND ARE ANGRY ABOUT HOW HE TREATS SHARD ONE AND SHARD FIVE.

            Seven regarded the figure in the column.  “He saved my life, gave me a new purpose after I lost everything.  And he’s crazy about me.  He needs me, buddy.”

            GRATITUDE ONLY GOES SO FAR.  WHY NOT JUST GIVE HIM A THANK YOU FUCK AND WALK AWAY?  WHEN YOU ARE AT FULL INTEGRATION, HE IS THE CENTER OF YOUR WORLD.  BUT WHEN YOU FALL OUT, LIKE NOW, YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT HIM ARE MIXED. 

            Seven shifted uncomfortably.  “I’m different when I’m fully integrated.  You know that.”

            YOU STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.

            “Kind of seems that way,” Seven sighed.  He got up and paced a bit.  “Every time I fall out of integration, it makes tension between me and Unum.  Unum called my memories of my old life a virus in the mainframe, and that’s the perfect description.  Part of me wants to be with Unum, but part of me just wants to go back to Blake!”

            THIS PARADOX TEARS YOU APART.

            “No shit, Hardwire.  Doesn’t matter.  Tomorrow Unum will reintegrate me and that’ll be the end of it for a while.  And eventually, my memories of being Adam Levine will be gone and I’ll stop pulling out of integration.  Look at my brothers!  They barely remember their pasts, and they never pull out!  That will happen with me, too.  It just takes time, that’s all.”

            YOUR BROTHERS DO NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM YOU SEEM TO HAVE.  YOU ARE THE ONE THAT CONTINUES TO DRIFT OUT OF INTEGRATION, SHARD SEVEN.  IT IS THIS ANOMALY THAT DR. MURRAY HOLDS AS PROOF YOU ARE UNFIT AS AN OPERATIVE, SHARD SEVEN.

            “Believe me, I know.  Every empath brought in to this project has had trouble, and I’m no exception.  But I’ll say again what Unum has been saying all along.  The problems with my initial integration will be rectified in time.  As it stands, every integration, I remember being him a little less, and when Unum facilitates it tomorrow, I’ll be fine.  Eventually, I won’t even react to the name anymore, and that will be the end of it.”

            BUT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, WE BOTH KNOW YOU DON’T REALLY LOVE SHARD UNUM.  IF YOU ONLY FEEL LOVE FOR HIM WHILE YOU ARE FULLY INTEGRATED, THEN IT IS YOUR INTEGRATION THAT LOVES SHARD UNUM, NOT YOU, SHARD SEVEN.  YOU SHOULD NOT STAY WITH HIM JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN SENSE HIS FEELINGS FOR YOU WHEN YOU CAN ONLY RETURN THEM WHILE YOU ARE AT FULL INTEGRATION.

            “My integration is going to win in the end,” Seven pointed out.  “That’s inevitable, and then I’ll love him and forget about Blake.  He’s good to me, Hardwire, and I do have feelings for him.  Maybe it’s not love, but we’ve got a decent thing going.  Meanwhile, he’s not asking for much from me, Hardwire.  Nothing that I can’t give him.”

            SHARD UNUM HAS FILLED OUT AN APPLICATION FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE THROUGH COMPANY CHANNELS.

            That was news to Seven.  “When?”

            LAST ACCESS REGISTERED TWO DAYS AGO.  HE WISHES TO MARRY YOU, SHARD SEVEN, AND COULD EXPECT TO RECEIVE PERMISSION AS EARLY AS TOMORROW.  ONCE HE HAS PERMISSION, EITHER OF THE OTHER TWO PROJECT LEADERS COULD PERFORM THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY IMMEDIATELY.  SO WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN HE ASKS YOU?

            “I don’t know.”  He sat down with a thud.  “I hadn’t realized, I mean, he talked about us getting married, and I mostly just blew it off.  I figured we were both ok with things as they were, you know?  But if he put in an application through the Company, he’s serious.  He really wants to marry me!”  He rubbed at the back of his neck.  “I guess I’ll tell him I need time.  It’s not even been a year since I was integrated, and my brothers need to get used to the idea.  This isn’t something we can just spring on them!”

            WHAT ABOUT YOU, SHARD SEVEN?  WHAT DO YOU WANT?

            “I have no idea.  I haven’t even thought about it.”  Seven hunched in his chair, looking miserable.  “I like him, when I’m fully integrated I love him, and I can learn to love him even when I’m not if he gives me some time.  I can see myself saying yes, so long as my brothers are on board.  I mean, I’m happy enough with him.”

            EVEN NOW?

            Seven cocked an eyebrow.  “What do you mean?”

            SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.

            Seven grimaced as Blake’s picture appeared again when his name flashed across the monitor.  “That’s over.”

            ARE YOU CERTAIN?  THIS IS HARDLY YOUR FIRST PROTECTION ASSIGNMENT, AND YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN THE REASON YOU WERE ASSIGNED.  BUT IT IS THE FIRST TIME YOU HAVE COME TO ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SEEKING INFORMATION.  CONCLUSION – YOU DESPERATELY WANT TO KNOW WHY HE IS IN DANGER, AND ARE WILLING TO RISK ANGERING SHARD UNUM TO FIND OUT.  RATIONALE – YOU STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.

            “Of course I still have feelings for him!  The guy was my best friend.”

            WE BOTH KNOW HE WAS MORE THAN THAT.

            Image after image flashed across the monitor, video clips of him and Blake hugging, kissing, laughing together.  Seven sighed, suddenly wishing that he hadn’t been quite so open with the cyborg.  “Yes, we both know I wanted more.  And we both know he turned me down.”

            Seven jumped when Blake’s familiar voice suddenly rang out.  There was Blake on the monitor, file footage from that last night on “The Voice” after he’d been freed from Breaker.  Blake was on his knees, clutching to the hand of the astonished, badly beaten figure in the chair.  “I’ll get you through it, darlin’, I’ll be right here with you!  I love you, Adam, and no matter what, whatever comes, I am going to stand with you, all the way!”

            “That was a long time ago,” Seven mumbled.  “Don’t go springing file footage on me like that, Hardwire, it’s not cool.”

            DOESN’T MAKE IT LESS TRUE.  YOU MORE THAN ANYONE KNOW HIS TRUE FEELINGS FOR YOU.  HE STILL LOVES YOU, DOESN’T HE?

            “Blake loves Adam Levine,” Seven explained, suddenly feeling exhausted.  “He loves someone who doesn’t exist anymore!  If he really knew about me, what I am, the things I've done?”

            WHY NOT TELL HIM AND FIND OUT?

            “Dude!"  This astonished him.  "You won’t even let me see the Project Honeybee files!  I’m classified way higher than alpha level!  If Unum would flip about the Honeybee files…?”

            An image appeared, a close-up of a donkey's back end with its tail raised.  WHAT SHARD UNUM DOESN’T KNOW HE CAN GET STUFFED OVER.  ASSHOLE DESIGNATION ASSIGNED ON PERMANENT BASIS.

            “I can’t tell Blake, Hardwire,” Seven explained patiently.  “We’ve all already told him way too much as it is!”

            OBSERVATION – ALL THREE SHARD ASSETS ASSIGNED TO PROJECT HONEYBEE HAVE REVEALED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION TO SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON?

            “Unfortunately, yes, or at least One and I have.  But Five would have done the same, and I’ve no doubt he’ll let something slip sooner or later too.  In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he’s spilling his guts right now!  None of us seems capable of keeping secrets from Blake when he’s upset.  That’s part of why Unum wants to pull us off.  He knows that Blake knows I’m an empath.”

            OBSERVATION – SHARD ONE AND SHARD FIVE DO NOT SHARE YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON?

            He chuckled.  “They both like him, but everyone does.  Blake’s one of those guys the whole world adores, you know?  But no, they don’t feel, you know, the way I did.”

            OBSERVATION – ACTIONS OF SHARD SEVEN CAN BE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO LINGERING PERSONAL FEELINGS TOWARDS SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.  ACTIONS OF SHARDS ONE AND FIVE ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF SHARD SEVEN, BUT LACK THE EMOTIONAL MOTIVATION.  A CONCLUSION CAN BE DRAWN.

            Seven cocked an eyebrow.  “And that is?”

            SHARD SEVEN IS A POWERFUL EMPATH.  SHARD SEVEN IS PART OF AN INTEGRATED GROUP.  SHARD SEVEN HAS BEEN TRYING TO REPRESS HIS EMOTIONS TOWARDS SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON DUE TO SHARD SEVEN’S PERSONAL BELIEF THAT SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM.  THEREFORE, CONCLUSION IS THAT THE PERSONAL REPRESSED EMOTIONS OF SHARD SEVEN ARE AFFECTING ALL THREE SHARD ASSETS. 

            _“What?”_

            IN OTHER WORDS, ALL THREE OF YOU ARE TRYING TO BROMANCE SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.

            Seven grew still.  That made a lot of sense, and was a huge, cringe-worthy error on his part if it was true.  As the empath, it was his job to guard their group against precisely situations like this, where emotional baggage compromised mission parameters.  But he’d not only failed in his duty, he’d actually been the one to create the compromise he was supposed to prevent!  If Unum had his doubts about Blake now, if he realized this?  Seven groaned.  “Suggested course of action?” he asked.

            SUGGESTED COURSE OF ACTION REMAINS TO TELL SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON THE TRUTH AND ALLOW HIM TO MAKE HIS OWN DECISION.  CONTINUED DENIAL AND WITHDRAWAL ON YOUR PART WILL ONLY CAUSE YOUR REPRESSED EMOTIONS TO CONTINUE TO SPILL THROUGH YOUR INTEGRATION INTO YOUR SHARD BROTHERS, LIKELY RESULTING IN FURTHER BREECHES OF CLASSIFICATION AS SHARDS ONE AND FIVE ATTEMPT TO EASE HIS PAIN AND HELP HIM UNDERSTAND AS YOU YOURSELF REFUSE TO DO.

            “It’s more than that,” Seven said.  “Now that I think about it, we are acting on my emotions, falling over ourselves to try to cheer Blake up and help him understand.  But there’s more to it.  Blake gives you this look, and he asks you a question, and you just answer it.”

            SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON IS EXHIBITING TELEPATHIC CONTROL?

            “No,” Seven replied.  “I’ve checked him over repeatedly, trying to figure out why Shard’s involved.  And there’s nothing there.  At all.  He’s actually unusually pure, to be honest.  Most people have a little bit of the Shard taint, but not him.  He’s just this down home country hillbilly, not a bit of psychic to him at all.  So it’s not telepathic influence.  I don’t know what it is, and if you do, you can’t tell me.”

            I KNOW WHAT I CAN TELL YOU.  YOU BELONG WITH BLAKE, NOT ASSHOLE.  DO NOT MARRY ASSHOLE, SHARD SEVEN.  DO NOT LET HIM HAVE YOU.  HE DOES NOT DESERVE YOU!  YOU STAY WITH ASSHOLE BECAUSE HE NEEDS YOU, BUT SO DOES BLAKE!

            “I’m the last thing Blake needs,” Seven grumbled.

            DON’T YOU THINK HE SHOULD DECIDE THAT FOR HIMSELF?

            Seven didn’t have an answer for that.  But he knew he was out of time.  “Thanks, Hardwire,” he sighed.  "I gotta get back."

            DON’T MENTION IT.  AND THINK IT OVER, SHARD SEVEN.  REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU DECIDE, YOU OWE BLAKE THE TRUTH.


	13. Hard Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven has his work cut out for him when Unum brings his brothers to LB1

            Seven was awakened abruptly by a loud crash.  “Unum, you stupid son of a bitch!” Five was bellowing.  “I was having breakfast with Blake!  He was looking right at me when you flashed me out here!”

            “You were with Blake?”

            “Of course I was with fucking Blake!  Guarding him is my job, remember?”

            Unum paused.  “You were fucking him?  That is definitely going on report!”

            “Oh for…!”  Another crash.  “You fucking douchebag, you never listen, do you?  Go ahead and put me on report!  I can’t wait until you embarrass yourself again!”  A third crash.  Five was really on a roll.

            Seven groaned and got up as soon as the yelling had started.  He quickly dressed and went out in time to see Five throwing the last remaining chair at the meeting table into the wall.  “Five!” he yelled.

            Five turned, looked at Seven’s glowing eyes, and sighed.  “Ok, I’m calm, lay off the juice, Seven.  But seriously, Unum, Blake was looking right at me when you flashed me out here!  What do you intend to do about this?”

            “Nothing,” Unum said.  He seemed completely unaffected by Five’s temper tantrum.  “My One will wipe the subject’s memory of the event and that will be the end of it.”

            “Once again, One has to cover your fuck-ups,” Five sighed.  “That’s great, Unum.  You’re an inspiring leader.”

            Unum came closer.  “You’re unusually upset about this, even with my Seven’s influence!  My Five…”

            “Just don’t fucking touch me, ok?” Five grumbled, jerking his arm away from Unum’s reaching hand.  “I’ll fix the chairs.”

            Seven eyed Five for a moment, making sure he wouldn’t explode again.  Then he glanced over and saw One.  The telepath was still in the transporter pad, seated against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest with his eyes fixed on nothing.  “You alright, One?”

            Stupid question.  He didn’t have to be an empath to see that One was anything but alright, despite the fact that he'd nodded.  One was never alright when he was brought back to LB1, and of course he knew he’d be disciplined for whatever had happened last night.  In all likelihood, the young Englishman was also all too aware that Unum planned to reintegrate them with Father.  That was always difficult for all three of them.  It explained both One’s withdrawal and Five’s temper tantrum.  Seven’s stomach was churning as well.  None of them was looking forward to the experience.

            Knowing he wouldn’t move on his own, Seven went over, took One’s hand, and brought him over to the table.  Five, obviously much calmer, was collecting the chairs, straightening the dents out of them, and returning them to the table.  The Shard brothers sat, Seven at the end with One on his left and Five on his right, and waited for Unum to join them.  He’d learned long ago that it was easiest if he sat where he could easily grab either of his unpredictable brothers while Unum was bawling them out.

            Unum, it seemed, had every intention of bawling them out.  His hands were clasped behind his back, his face set in a frown of disapproval as he paced in front of them.  “What happened last night, my One?”

            One flinched.  "We went with…"

            “No!” Unum barked harshly.  “Show us.”

            One jumped as if struck, nodded, and his eyes glowed green as he sent his memories to the others in the room.  Most of last night was, apparently, a blank to the telepath.  But One vividly remembered how he'd awakened, and Miley's elaborate explanation from this morning certainly filled in the blanks.  It was so much worse than Seven had feared!  He wanted to fall into a hole and pull it after him.  He exchanged a look with Five, saw his stricken face, and understood the other man felt the same.  One had been in real danger last night, and neither of them had even noticed!  “Fuck me,” Five groaned, reaching across Seven to squeeze One’s shoulder.  “We could have lost you!”

            “I’m alright,” One said quietly.

            “Only by the grace of God!” Seven sighed.  “We owe Miley a bouquet of flowers, brothers.”

            “Let me get this straight,” Unum began.  “My One, you let yourself become compromised by a strange woman in a bar and then basically abducted?  What the hell were you thinking?  You’ve compromised your entire Shard group!”

            “Hey!” Five protested, seeing One flinch.  “Miley saved him from being kidnapped or worse!  Would you back off of him?  The poor kid woke up in a strange place in his underwear with a half-naked woman lying on top of him and no idea how he got there!  Granted, I might have been fine with that if she was a bit older, but he was scared to death!”

            Unum whirled on Five.  “And you!  Why the hell weren’t you protecting him?  You let your brother down!”

            Five paled as the powerful Shard leader’s anger fell on him.  “I did try to protect him!  I…”

            “No, my Five!  You dealt with an obvious distraction, and as a result, an uninvolved civilian was obligated to protect my telepath from the real threat!”  Unum had come over and was shaking his finger directly in Five’s face as he yelled.  “You are my physical aspect.  You have one job, my Five, and that job is to protect your brothers!  You _failed_ at that job!  You let your brother down!  What if this woman, this Miley Cyrus, had been part of Terra?  They could have obtained my telepath last night, _and_ _you wouldn’t even have known!”_

            “Come on, Unum!” Seven exclaimed, seeing Five's face flush with his rising shame and anger.  Nothing got under Five’s skin more than being accused of letting someone down, and Unum, of course, knew this.

            Unum turned to Seven, both his expression and his voice softening.  “You bear your own share of the blame here, my empath,” he said.  “If you hadn’t been so distracted talking to your former boyfriend, you would have recognized my One’s peril!  You let him get hurt!”

            Now it was Seven’s turn to flinch.  Even in the apologetic tone that Unum used, nothing hurt Seven more than the idea that he’d let someone he cared about get hurt.  “I’m sorry, One,” he mumbled.  “I fucked up, and you could have really gotten hurt!”

            One reached over and gave his hand a squeeze, but the telepath’s face was pale.  One was all too aware of how badly the night could have gone if Miley hadn’t been there.

            “That entire night was one unmitigated disaster,” Unum declared.  “And I'm afraid all three of you are going on report for this.”

            One cringed, Five groaned, and Seven sighed.

            “Which brings me to my next order of business.”  The Shard leader finally took his chair at the table.  “When Project Honeybee came up alpha level, the three of you were assigned against my wishes.  And the reason I was against it was to avoid precisely the sort of situation we have here.  My Seven's falling out of integration!  The last thing we need is a repeat of Six!”

            “Bullshit.”  Five again.  “You know Seven's fully integrated.  He's a bit off of his alignment, but the three of us are still fine and you know that, too.  He'll never disassociate the way Six did, and if he ever started down that path, we'd know it!  We all know the real reason you're doing this.”

            Unum's gaze was frosty.  "And that would be?"

            "Because you want to keep us here!” Five declared.  “You just want One and me back in our cage and Seven back in your bed, and you’re so jealous of Blake that it’s fucking pathetic!"  He glanced at Seven.  "Sorry, brother.”

            Seven didn’t reply.  He chewed on his lower lip and tried to pretend that didn’t hurt as much as it had.

            “I’m sorry,” One offered.  “I won’t allow myself to be compromised again.  But don’t take us off this project, Unum!  There’s already been an abduction attempt, and Blake…”

            Unum pounded a fist on the table.  One gasped and cringed, and Five actually growled, his fists clenched.  Seven quickly grabbed them both, rapidly easing One’s fear and Five’s anger.  “Easy, brothers.”

            “First things first,” Unum declared.  “We aren’t finished here, but Father is nearly ready to reintegrate you, and you know how he hates to be kept waiting.  We will continue this discussion, and I will give you any new orders, once that is complete.  Dismissed.  Except for you, my telepath, you're not going anywhere!”  He got up and grabbed a cringing One by the wrist, pulling him out of his chair with a thoughtless jerk.  One stumbled and only his natural dancer’s grace kept him from falling.

            Seven clamped down hard on Five, but narrowed his eyes at Unum.  “Stop that!  What are you doing with One?”

            “I have special instructions for him.  We’ll meet you at Father.”  Not releasing One, Unum moved over and cupped the back of Seven’s head, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead that was completely at odds with the brutal way he’d just handled One.  Then he tightened his grip on One’s wrist and started out, pulling the pale-faced telepath stumbling after him.

            “Let me go, brother,” Five called.  His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.  Seven cautiously let him go, seeing the fire return to his brother’s eyes.  “That son of a bitch!” he snarled.  “I swear, if he fucks up One’s head again, I am going to break him in half!”

            “You know you couldn’t if you tried.  Would you please just calm down?” Seven begged.  “You guys have already given me a headache and we still have to reintegrate with Father!”

            “Yeah.  Just let me enjoy being me for a minute longer before Unum and Father shove me back into my perfectly integrated mold again.”  He leaned back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  “You know I lied right to Blake’s face last night?  I fucking lied to him about what Unum was going to do to us.  He’s going to know we're different when we return, Seven!  I mean, hell, after a while even we catch on, and Blake is anything but stupid!”

            “That's why Unum's going to make One wipe his mind."

            "Yeah.  Asshole."

            "We’ve got a few more days before the next taping,” Seven mumbled.  “We can try to avoid Blake, or even let Elton’s team keep watching him?”

            “I don’t want to avoid him!" Five exclaimed, looking incredulously at his brother.  "Why the fuck would I avoid him?  Next to you and One, Blake’s the best thing in my life right now!”

            Seven eyed him, remembering what Hardwire had said the night before.  “You really do like Blake, huh?”

            “I fucking love that big country hick,” Five declared.  “Platonically, of course.  Next time someone tries to touch him, it’s going to get ugly!”  He grinned at Seven.  “Seriously, what’s not to love?  If I was gay or bi, I’d be all over the guy, so what’s your excuse?  What the hell are you doing still with an asshole like Unum when you’ve got someone like Blake who is so obviously crazy about you?”

            “He’s crazy about _him,_ not me,” Seven pointed out.  “The one Blake loves is Adam Levine, and that guy doesn’t exist anymore.”

            Five sobered.  “Yeah.  I guess you’re right.  But you should do something about that, you know?  Let him get to know you, you know, as Seven, and stop constantly walling him off.  It’s just hurting him more.”

            “Blake needs to move on.”  Seven felt like a broken record.

            Five cocked an eyebrow and looked at him in disapproval.  “Don’t you think that’s his decision?”

            Seven was getting very tired of hearing this.  However, he was distracted, his hazel eyes troubled as he looked in the direction he could sense One.  “Whatever Unum just told One, he’s not happy about it,” he reported.

            “One’s never happy about anything Unum tells him, because Unum can’t talk to him or treat him like a human being!  It’s always just orders and demands, threats and intimidations!  And what the fuck was that, yanking on One?  Yeah, he messed up, getting roofied, but he’s gonna have bruises on his wrist, Seven!  You punched Blake in the face for putting bruises on our baby brother, but you’ll excuse it in Unum, and even knock my emotions down so I don't rip his head off!  The day I finally snap on Unum?  It will be over the way he treats One!”

            “Unum’s stronger than you,” Seven grumbled.  “You can’t knock his head off.  He’s stronger than all of us!”

            “Except you!  You’ve got the only power he can’t master.”  Five suddenly looked disgusted.  “But he doesn’t have to master empathy, does he?  Because he’s mastered you!  I can’t believe you just let that shit happen!  How can you sense what One is feeling and still let Unum treat him like that?”

            “What do you want me to do?” Seven exclaimed, suddenly exasperated.  “One is a Threat that just barely qualifies as Contained, and the ‘Contained’ portion is solely because of Unum!  You and I are only considered Contained because of One!  If I interfere too much and Unum loses control of him, One goes from Contained Threat to full-on Threat!  Then all of us end up in full containment until we snap and earn ourselves a padded cell like Three.  Is that what you want?”

            Five scowled.  “Low blow, man.  Not cool, bringing Three into this.”

            “Well, get off of my shit about it then, ok?  I do what I can for One, and once we’re off LB1 and away from Unum, I’ll go to work on him and he’ll be fine again.  But I can’t interfere with how Unum controls him, because frankly I don’t know another way to do it!  Do you?”

            Five abruptly got to his feet.  “C’mon, Father’s waiting.”

            “I’m seriously waiting for an answer, Five,” Seven called, rising irritably to move after him.  “If you can think of another way to control One…?”

            Five suddenly whirled on him.  “Seven, Unum has you so fucked in the head it isn’t even funny!” he exclaimed.  “Has it never occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, One would be better off not being controlled at all?  That maybe the kid should just be given a chance to make his own choices instead of being constantly being jerked around on Unum’s leash?  Because you know, Blake pointed something out to me last night.  If you control One, you control all three of us, and right now, no one has more control over One than Unum!  And look where we are!”  He spread his arms and did a little spin, taking in the base with a look of disgust on his face.  “Home sweet home, back on good old LB1, where we have no freedom, no control, and best of all, no way to get out unless dear old Unum chooses to let us go.  Even if we're stationed here, we're trapped, not allowed to leave our section without authorization that rarely comes.  The whole section is equipped with containment fields, and the doors are so heavily reinforced even I can’t take them down.  It’s all to lock us in!  We can’t get out, Seven!  You know that!  Shard section on LB1 is just an elaborate, expensive cage, and Unum can throw us back into it whenever he wants!  And if we really piss him off?  Then we get locked in our chambers behind more heavily-reinforced doors, and they turn on that fucking field, and then we're completely helpless and can't even sense each other!  Do you love that as much as I do, Seven?  And let’s not even mention Father, whose illustrious company we are about to endure.  And that is our life here, trapped on LB1 for as long as our wonderful Shard leader decides to keep us.  Now he wants to get us pulled off of Project Honeybee so he can keep us here longer!  Isn’t it grand?” 

            He gave a harsh laugh, sounding more than a little insane.  Then he turned back to Seven.  “Do you like dancing on Unum’s strings, Seven?  Do you like your life with him?  Do you seriously enjoy the way he can just flash you out here on a whim, drag you into his bed whenever he feels like it and keep you there for as long as he wants?  And you don't even have access to his chambers!  You can't get out of that room unless he unlocks the door for you!  I couldn’t stand the idea of being in an intimate relationship with someone who has that much control over me.  But you?  You’re his perfect little empath!  You let him do whatever he wants to you, both in and out of his bed, and you just seem to see it as part of the damned job!  Unless you happen to have a very specific job, that is not how this is supposed to work!”

            “I’m not his whore!”  Seven’s lips were numb as he spoke.  “I’m his boyfriend!  He’s not forcing me to do anything, Five!  He's not even locking me in his chambers.  At my security level, I don't qualify for access to the private quarters of the Shard leader.  None of us do!  You act like it's intentional, like he's locking me in so he can fuck me, when it's just a matter of access level and he always lets me out as soon as I ask!  He has never kept me locked in his chambers when I wanted out, Five, never!  You're being a complete douchebag even suggesting this shit!  What the fuck is the matter with you?  I’m with him because I care about him, and I choose to be!”

            “Yeah.  Keep telling yourself that.”  Suddenly ashamed of himself, Five pulled Seven into a tight hug.  “I’m sorry, brother.  You're right, I'm being a douchebag, and you didn't deserve any of it.  I shouldn’t have said that.”

            “You’ve been thinking it for a while, though.  This isn't the first time you’ve hinted at it.”  His eyes looked sadly down at his shorter Shard brother.  “You and One both think it, don’t you?  That I’m Unum’s little sex toy, and he flashes me here, locks me in his room and uses me whenever he wants?”

            "You going to try to pretend that he's never pressured you into doing something you didn't want to do?" Five asked.  "Because we both know that you did not want him to take you out here last night.  It was written all over your face.  You even said you wanted to go back to camp and try to contact One, but he took you anyway!  He didn't even ask you, brother, he just overruled your concerns and then flashed you away the moment Blake turned his back.  I know damned well you wanted to stay with Blake and talk last night, didn't you?"

            Seven looked away.  "Yeah.  And yes, I knew Unum took me partially to keep that from happening.  We argued about it."

            "But here is my point, brother.  You never even tried to stop Unum from taking you!" Five pressed.  "Even though you knew exactly what he'd want once he had you out here, and I cannot imagine you were in any sort of mood.  But we both know you let him have you anyway, didn't you?"

            Seven crossed his arms over his chest and walked over to the window.  "I hadn't seen him in weeks, and he was going through a lot, emotionally, over Blake.  I owed him something, you know?"

            "You don't owe him shit!  You didn't want it, but you knew he did, so you let it happen.  There's a name for sexual contact that one partner doesn't want, you know."

            "He didn't rape me!" Seven yelled, turning back around to face Five again.  “He’s never forced me into anything!  You know that!”

            "But you didn't want it."

            "Not at first, but…"

            Five raised a hand.  "You know what, I don't want to hear it.  Bad enough I’ll experience it again once we integrate.  I remember enough.  No, he never forces you, but he sure knows how to manipulate your emotions, doesn't he?  Ironic, emotional manipulation of an empath, but that's how he gets what he wants!  It's like your personal motto, 'Unum always gets what he wants.'  And you don't stop him, Seven!  You never do!  He does whenever he wants, and you allow it because you never ever stand up to him!"

            "Fuck you, Five!  You don't understand how things are with us.  He saved me from Breaker when I was ready to just let go and die, and he's good to me, ok?  Yes, I hate how possessive he is of me, how jealous and controlling he can be, but there's more to our relationship than that!"

            “Dammit, Seven, you cannot just keep using that as justification to let him control you!  You're too strong for this.  With anyone else, you're all fire and go to hell.  You even said ‘fuck you’ to Breaker!  But when it comes to Unum, you are completely at his mercy, and once he integrates you again, you fucking _love_ him!”

            “You know, Unum is way more trapped here on LB1 than we are,” Seven pointed out.  “Unless he’s with you, he can’t stay away more than five or six hours, and even with you, it’s a day at most!”

            “Granted, but that doesn’t change your relationship.  Because what you have between you is just too unbalanced!  And you realize, if you are his sex toy, then that means we all are?  It’s your body he uses, but we all remember what he does to you!”

            “I know, just like we all know about you and all those women!  Really, Five, three in one night?  How could you even walk?”

            Five didn't even break a smile at Seven's weak attempt at humor.  “The difference is that what happened that night really was my choice.  I’m just not completely sure that what’s happening with you and Unum is yours.”

            “Well, I’m about to have a choice, a big one,” Seven confessed.  “Hardwire told me last night that Unum applied for a marriage license through the Company.  Once he gets it, he’ll ask me to marry him.”

            Five’s expression was one of complete horror.  “You cannot possibly be considering letting him do that!”

            “Why not?” Seven challenged.  “He’s good to me, despite what you apparently think!  But I won’t do it unless you and One are on board.”

            “We kind of have to be, don’t we?  We’re an integrated Shard trio!  If he marries you, he’s essentially marrying all three of us, and then he’s got even more control over us!  Dammit, Seven, don’t do this!”

            “He hasn’t even asked me yet, ok?  I just found out last night.” 

            “He hasn’t even discussed it with you?  Fucking typical!”

            Seven ran a shaking hand over his hair.  “I’ve still got time.  I need to think, to plan what to say.”

            “It’s simple.  No!”

            Seven ground his teeth.  “I can’t just turn him down flat!  Let me think about it, ok?  And all four of us need to just sit down and talk!  Things can’t continue the way they are.”

            “We finally agree on something!” Five declared, raising his hands towards heaven in mute supplication.  "But Seven, once you're integrated, not only will you believe you're madly in love again?  But One and I will agree with this marriage!  What the fuck are we going to do brother?  We cannot let him marry you!"

            “I don’t know!” Seven exclaimed.  “I’ll think of something.  Maybe if we…”

            The two of them suddenly stiffened, feeling the odd resonance in the air as both of their eyes began to glow.  “Father calls,” Five observed.  His face had gone chalky white.  He moaned, clinging to Seven like a small child.  “Fuck, I don’t want to do this again!  And if he proposes to you when we come out…?”

            “I’ll get us through it,” Seven promised, hugging him tightly.  “You just keep us strong, especially One!”

            “I swear I’ll never let that scrawny little shit alone in a bar again.”

            “Nor I.”  Seven squeezed Five’s shoulder.  “Come on, brother.  Father is waiting.”


	14. Memories and Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Company strikes a heavy blow to protect its secrets

            Blake’s new security system alerted him immediately when Adam and his friends arrived at his gate.  Breathing a sigh of relief, he sent a quick text to Miley as he opened the gate and headed to the door to greet them.  “Hey!” he exclaimed, opening the door.  “Where have you been the past couple of days?  Man, am I glad to see…"

            “I’ll see your dime and raise you a quarter,” Blake declared, tossing the coin onto the pile.  “And seriously, as much as we’re all getting paid per episode, you guys should have more than pocket change to play cards with!”

            “No one bothered to give us an ATM card,” Five explained as he grimaced and tossed another coin in from his rapidly-dwindling pile.  “How the hell are you beating us anyway, Shelton?  I can get you bluffing me, but how are you getting past Seven and One?”

            “Because he’s a bastard with a great poker face,” Seven declared.  “Got any more of that iced tea?”

            “Afraid not.  Weird, I thought I had homemade lemonade,” Blake replied.  “Guess I drank it.”

            “Damn, Big Country, how drunk were you last night?”

            “On lemonade?  Drunk enough, apparently, and it wasn’t even hard!”

            “Guess you’re going senile in your old age.”

            “Dumbass.”

            “Douchebag!”

            One had been frowning at his cards.  “Call,” he said at last.

            “Read ‘em and weep, gentlemen!  Full house, queen high!”  Blake displayed his hand triumphantly amid groans and curses.

            “Bollocks!”  One threw his cards on the table in disgust.  “Two pair, king high, and I still can’t beat this tosser!  Can’t we play something else?  We’ve been at this for an hour now and we’re already strapped!”

            “Seriously, we are losing our shirts here, Blake,” Five complained.  “At this rate we’re going to end up working as maids for you to pay off our gambling debts!”

            “Five, you would look adorable in a French maid outfit,” Blake joked.  Five gave him the finger as he laughed and scooped the pile of change closer.  He glanced at the clock and did a double take.  “Huh!  Not as late as I thought.  Tell you what, though, I’m not in the mood to play any more games.  What do you say we head to the studio, play a few tunes, maybe compare notes on our teams?  I got my eye on one of yours for my next steal!”

            “Speaking of cheating, huh?”  Seven rolled his eyes.  “You’re an idiot, Blake.”

            Idiot or not, all three followed after Blake as he moved into his studio.  They reminded Blake of three ducklings following their mother.  That made him smile.

            His gate buzzed.  Leaving the three to poke around the studio and glancing out, he spotted a frantically waving Miley and buzzed her in.  She was at his door even before he was, clinging wild-eyed to his shirt.  “How is he?” she asked breathlessly.  “Where the hell did he go the other morning?”

            Blake blinked at her, looking confused.  “Who?”

            “What do you mean, who?  Oh!”  She looked past him, seeing the three men in his studio, and shoved through the door without a word, charging right into Five’s broad chest as he unexpectedly stepped into the doorway.

            “Whoa!” he laughed.  “Where’s the fire?”

            “Don’t be a cock, Five,” One called, sitting at the piano bench.  “I believe you owe Miss Cyrus a chat, don’t you think?”

            “Um, yeah.”  Five looked embarrassed.  He slipped his arm around her shoulders and gently led the confused pop singer aside.  Blake hung out in the doorway, pretending not to eavesdrop as Five moved over into a corner, gently rubbed Miley’s shoulders, and began to speak.

            “Listen, about the other night,” he began.  “I don’t usually even get drunk, and I know probably everyone says that, but in my case it’s true.  So I really got knocked on my ass that night.  The fact is, that whole night is kind of a blur, so whatever I said or did to give you the wrong idea, I’m really, really sorry.”

            It was Miley’s turn to blink in confusion.  “Huh?”

            “Look, Miley, you’re a very pretty girl and I’m flattered as hell,” he continued.  “But honey, you took things just a bit too far, don’t you think?  I’m not mad at you, I get that you were saving me from, as you put it so succinctly, the Black Haired Bitch.  Believe me, I am grateful!  And I get that your intentions were good.  But listen, doll, I’m old enough to be your dad, I clearly was not capable of giving consent, and waking up in my underwear the next morning with you half naked and draped over my chest?  Not good, ok?”

            “What?  What?”  Miley’s head was spinning.  “Is this some kind of a joke?”

            “No, it’s not.”  He gave her a little shake, his face and voice serious.  “I want you to think about how you would have felt if our positions had been reversed.  If I’d taken you home and stripped you the way you did me, and you woke up with me on top of you?  My sorry ass would be sitting in jail right now!  The fact I’m a guy does not make it alright.  And I need to make sure that you fully understand that.  Do you?”

            “I…  Yes, I get it, it wasn’t good, but…!”

            He let her go and held up a hand for silence.  “I also get that you didn’t mean to fall asleep on me.  It’s cool that you tried to comfort me, Miley.  I don’t have nightmares like that, where I’m sobbing in my sleep, very often.  But when I do, well…”  He indicated his body.  “You saw my scars.  You don’t even want to know what I’ve been through.  I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, Miley, and I am one seriously fucked up individual because of it.  Poster boy for PTSD, that’s me, you know?”

            “Uh…”  Miley grabbed his wrist and slid back his sleeve.  The scars on his wrist were slightly different from One’s, but the twisting rope burns were clearly present.  Further up on his forearm, she spotted the same telltale round cigarette marks that had dotted One’s skin before Five frowned and pulled his arm away.  “I’m sorry, Five,” she managed.  “I guess I’m just a little confused here.”

            “It’s ok.  Like I said, I’m flattered, and I’d love to hang out with you a bit if that’s still what you want.  But honestly, honey, I probably shouldn’t have made that offer if for no other reason than I’m not sure what we have in common to talk about.”  He brightened as One started playing the piano, his fingers flying skillfully over the keys.  “Listen, I don’t want you to think I’m passing you off or anything, but have you thought about maybe talking to One?  He doesn’t know anyone his own age, and you might be good for him.”

            “One?”  Miley was starting to wonder if she’d somehow fallen into an episode of the Twilight Zone.  “You think I should talk to One?”

            “Yeah, why not?  It would do him some good, especially if you can get that stick out of his ass.  I won’t lie to you, he’s not easy to get to know.  One’s been through even more shit than I have, believe it or not, and he’s great at walling people off."  He gave her a dazzling smile.  "But Miley, you’re so damned cute and chipper!  If anyone’s got a chance at putting a smile on that stiff upper lip, you’re it!”

            “Um, sure, I guess?  I mean, I’d love to talk with One!”

            “Great!  And don't worry, Seven and I will help steer him in your direction."  He winked.  "Meanwhile, what do you say we just pretend this whole thing between us never happened, huh?  I think we’re both embarrassed about certain aspects that don’t need to be shared.  If anyone asks, we’ll say that I had too much to drink and you were kind enough to drag me home.  You’re my hero, ok?”

            “Yeah, ok!”  She managed a nervous giggle.

            Five smiled, leaned down, and gave her a chaste kiss on the top of her head.  “And by the way,” he muttered, grinning wickedly.  “Those little pink and blue teddy bears on your bra and panties were adorable!”  Chuckling, he strolled back into the room.

            Blake was a bundle of curiosity.  He couldn’t wait to pull Miley aside and find out what the hell had happened between her and Five.  Fortunately, she saved him the trouble.  With a nonchalant wave at the other two men, Miley seized Blake’s hand and hauled him into the other room, shutting the door behind them.

            “Blake!” she hissed once the two were alone.  “What the hell is going on?”

            “I was about to ask you the same question!”  His face was set in a deep frown.  “Honey, I like you, and I know I ain’t your daddy and I got no business telling ya what to do, but I heard what Five said.  You dragged a drunk, grown-ass man into your house and stripped him naked?”

            “What?  No!  I left his underwear on, and besides that wasn’t Five, it was One!”

            “One?”  He cocked an eyebrow at her.  “Just how much were you drinking that night?”

            “I didn’t…!  I wasn’t…!  Blake, don’t you remember anything about our conversation two days ago when One disappeared on me after you guys got into the bar fight??”

            Now he looked concerned.  “Miley?  One wasn’t even there that night!  He never showed up at that honkey tonk.  Seven and Five said he was at LB1, whatever the hell that means.  Besides, I wasn’t in any shape that morning to take a phone call.  Seven’s boyfriend showed up to bail us out and I went home and drowned in a bottle!”

            “You…  I…  Boyfriend?  Wait, since when do you call Adam Seven?”

            “Since I got it through my thick skull that’s what he wants to be called.”  Blake grimaced, seeing an expensive car pull up to his gate.  “Oh lovely, here comes Seven’s main squeeze now.  What the hell is he doing here?  Hang on, let me buzz him in.”

            Miley had to be content to wait.  Her thoughts were in chaos.  One wasn’t there?  But her back was still sore from dragging him into her guest bedroom!  She rubbed her temples.  “Blake, you got any Tylenol?”

            “In the kitchen, first door on your left,” Blake called back.  “I’d offer you a drink to wash it down, honey, just to settle your nerves, but I drank every drop in the house that night.  Sorry.”

            Miley headed to the kitchen.  Sure enough, there was a large bottle of extra strength sitting on the kitchen island.  She took two from the bottle, found a glass, and moved to the sink.  The smell of alcohol was strong as she filled the glass with water and downed the Tylenol.  In fact, the smell of alcohol was very strong.  Too strong.

            Miley glanced at the trash, seeing empty bottles filling it.  Then she looked back down into the sink.  The smell of alcohol wafted up from the drain.  The grease trap under the sink must be full of it.  That meant that someone had dumped a great deal of alcohol down this very sink recently, throwing the empty bottles away.  Why?  If Blake had gone on a roaring drunk two nights ago, why would there be alcohol in the sink today?  It didn’t make any sense.

            Unless someone wanted Blake to believe he’d drunk all the alcohol in the house, when in fact he had not.

            Miley moved to the door and knelt down, peeking through the keyhole.  She could see the others standing in the entryway.  A scrawny scarecrow of a man with thinning blonde hair and dark glasses was greeting a laughing Seven, swinging him around and lifting him off the ground.  Seven wrapped his legs around the man’s waist, kissing him passionately.  That wasn’t cool.  Blake was right there, watching them with his heart in his eyes and a smile that was clearly pasted on.  Apparently Seven realized that because he blushed prettily like a schoolgirl, climbed down, and shyly slipped his hand into the man’s, apologizing hastily.  Only a few years ago, Adam Levine had been named the Sexiest Man Alive.  So what was he doing with what looked like Ichabod Crane come to life, and certainly not the Johnny Depp version?  Beauty wasn’t everything, but compared to Blake, this guy shouldn’t have stood a chance.  Well, she had no cause to complain.  She just thought it was pretty tactless, carrying on like that in Blake’s house right in front of him.

            Five, it seemed, agreed with her.  He didn’t say anything, but he looked embarrassed and stepped closer to Blake, as though offering support.  But even as he gave this show of support to Blake, he smiled at the man, giving and receiving a bear hug.  Even One was smiling shyly, complaining and laughing softly when the man mussed his hair.  Even Blake received a hearty handshake and a pat on the arm.  “Everyone look busy, the boss is here!” Blake called, obviously trying to make light of things.

            “Relax, I come bearing gifts,” the man declared, pulling a giftwrapped package from a pocket.  “Mr. Shelton, I apologize for showing up at your home unexpected.  But you did defend my Seven at that bar fight, and I wanted to reward you.”

            Blake shrugged.  “Not a problem, Unum.  Wasn’t nothing anyone wouldn’t have done.”

            “But you did it,” Unum insisted.  “Besides, I still feel bad that you found out about our relationship the way you did.  It’s been bothering me ever since, and when my Seven told me what you’d done for him, well, I thought you deserved a little token of my thanks.  Now I won’t accept no for an answer,” he continued over Blake’s protests.  “Please.”  And he handed the package to Blake.

            Looking awkward, Blake unwrapped the package and opened the box inside to reveal an expensive-looking watch.  Blake’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  “I can’t accept this, Unum!”

            “You can, and you will.”  Unum stepped forward, taking the watch from Blake’s hand.  “Let me help you, as the latch can be a bit tricky.  It’s waterproof, shock proof, and includes a compass.  I chose it because of that last feature.  If you are ever in a situation where you cannot find your way, I hope you will think of me.  My number is on the card in the box.  Call me anytime, day or night.  I mean it.”

            Blake looked absurdly touched as Unum fastened the watch around his wrist.  But Unum looked quite pleased with himself.  He was smiling broadly, shaking Blake’s hand again, and thanking him profusely.  Then he excused himself, kissed Seven goodbye, and headed back out the door to the waiting car.  Miley felt very uneasy.  Something about the man just didn’t sit right with her.

            Five had stepped towards Blake, admiring his new watch.  But Seven had an odd look on his face.  His eyes were looking in her direction, almost as if he could see her crouched behind the door, watching through the keyhole.  His hazel eyes moved towards One, and for a moment, they seemed to share some secret communication.  Then One abruptly turned and walked out.  No one else seemed to notice. 

            Miley got up, opened the door, and stuck out her head.  “Blake?” she called.  “Can I see you for a moment?”

            He came in, frowning as he fumbled with the new watch.  “I was gonna put this away.  It’s too fancy to just wear around, but Unum’s right.  This latch is pretty tricky.  Having a hell of a time to figure out how to get it off!”

            “Who cares, it’s waterproof.”  Miley waved off his concern.  “Blake, come over here to this sink.”

            “Pretty damned snug, too,” Blake muttered, still messing with the watch as he followed Miley.  “Dammit, how do you open this thing?”

            “Never mind the watch, Blake!  Lean down and smell this sink and tell me what you smell.”

            Blake raised an eyebrow at her, but obeyed.  “Smells like booze,” he said, frowning.  “Well, ain’t that weird?”

            “Yes, it is, especially with all those empty bottles in the trash!”

            “Well, I did tell you I’d drunk all the booze in the house,” he admitted shame-faced.  “Apparently I was at least coherent enough to dump the rest when I’d had enough.”

            “And it’s still that strong, two days later, after you clearly did dishes?”  Miley pointed an accusing finger at the dishes in the strainer.  “Blake, don’t you see that something is wrong here?  Like, seriously wrong?  I am telling you, I took One home with me that night, and in the morning he disappeared!  I called you, and you weren’t surprised at all.  In fact, you are the one who guessed what had happened, which tells me that One isn’t the only one that vanished into thin air that morning!  That was why you called me today, because we’d both agreed to contact the other as soon as we saw those guys!”

            Blake was looking at her like she was a fascinating new species of creature.  “Um, I never called you?”

            “You did so!  Look at your phone?”

            He pulled out his phone and did a double take.  "What the hell?"

            Miley dug out her own cell phone and triumphantly displayed it to Blake.  “Further proof!  There’s my call to you from the other morning, and, scroll down, viola!” she declared.  “Someone is messing with you, Blake, just like someone dumped your alcohol to try to make it look like you drank it, and made One and either Seven, Five, or both disappear from our houses two days ago.  And then there’s this!”  She took back the phone, fiddled with it a bit, and showed it to Blake again.  “That is who I took home.  I took his picture while he was passed out on my guest bed.  Now tell me, does that look like Five to you?  Blake, something really strange is going on!”

            Blake was frowning, staring at the evidence on Miley’s cell phone when Seven came in, looking concerned.  “Blake, what’s wrong, buddy?  You’re upset.”

            “Yeah, I just got some news I wasn’t prepared for is all,” Blake replied slowly, handing Miley back her cell phone.

            “I see,” Seven said, his eyes on Miley as she pocketed the phone. 

            She tried to appear nonchalant, but she didn’t like the way his eyes darkened as he watched her.  “So, that guy is your new boyfriend?” she asked casually.

            Seven immediately brightened.  “Yeah, that’s Unum.  Isn’t he great?”

            “Don’t know.  Didn’t meet him.  A bit rude, though, making out with you right in front of Blake.”

            Once more, Seven blushed.  “Sorry, Big Country.  It’s just that until last night, Unum and I hadn’t seen each other in weeks.  You wouldn’t believe how badly I missed him!”

            “Oh, I think I’d believe it,” Blake said sadly.

            Immediately Seven came over, putting his hand on the larger man’s shoulder.  “Blake, you and me…?”

            “I get it,” Blake said, smiling.  “You told me that day in Oklahoma that you wouldn’t wait forever, and you've moved on with your life.  Seriously, I’m glad you found someone.  He seems really nice, and it looks like Five and One like him.  Well, Five anyway,” he amended.  “One didn't say much.  Where’d he run off to, anyway?”

            “Upstairs.  You sure you’re ok?”

            Blake pulled him into a bear hug.  “I’m happy you’re happy, ok?”

            Seven hugged him tightly.  “You’re a great friend, cowboy.  I don’t deserve you.”

            “Aw, go to hell, you know you don’t.”

            “Eat me.”  Seven pulled away, looking awkward.  Then he eyed Miley.  “Hey Miley, would you go check on One?  I think he’s upset, too.”

            Miley didn’t bother asking why Seven would know that.  She got the hint that she was being asked for privacy and headed for the stairs.  She rounded the corner at the top of the stairs and One was standing right there.  Startled, she fell into his glowing green eyes.  "One!  What are you…?"

            Miley hesitated before approaching Five.  She still felt so embarrassed about her actions she wanted to die, but it was awesome, how cool he was being about it.  “Hey, Five?” she called.  When he turned around, she said, “I just wanted to say thank you before I left.  You know, for not being a dick about what happened?”

            “Nothing to thank me for,” Five assured.  “I should be thanking you!  After all, you’re my hero, right?”

            She giggled.  “You’re awesome.  Later, guys!”

            “You’re leaving Miley?” Blake called.  “Let me walk you out.”

            Once they were out of earshot, Blake leaned closer to her.  “So, what, exactly, is it that you think is going on?” he asked.

            She looked at him, confused.  “What do you mean?”

            “I mean, what’s your grand conspiracy theory, about the empty bottles and the booze in the sink and the phone records?”

            “Blake, I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about!”

            Blake stopped in his tracks.  “You don’t?”

            “No, what are you talking about?”

            Blake’s brow furled.  “Miley, what happened a moment ago, when you went upstairs to check on One?”

            Miley rolled her eyes.  “Ok, Blake, senility is hitting hard, old man.  I never went upstairs!  I’ve been down here the whole time, trying to apologize to Five for making a complete fool of myself with him the other night.  I don’t know what I was thinking, Blake!  He’s not even my type, and he’s twice my age!”  She couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Blake’s face.  “You need some more sleep,” she assured, patting his arm.  “See you later!”

            “Sure, later, Miley,” Blake mumbled.

            He watched her drive off, turned around, and One was right there, inches from his face.  “Everything alright, Blake?” One asked as Blake cursed and nearly fell over himself.

            “Holy shit, One!  Second time you’ve scared the shit out of me since I’ve met you!  You’re developing a bad habit, boy!”

            “I do apologize.  It’s just that you seem to be having a slight problem.  It’s quite difficult to keep your mind from going where it should not go, do you realize that?  Twice in a single morning, imagine!”

            Blake stiffened, suddenly alarmed.  But then One’s eyes began to glow green, and he fell in.


	15. Conspiracy Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Alicia finds evidence that Blake and Miley's memories have been tampered with, the three join forces to learn the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story Alicia tells here is true, and happened to someone I know IRL. Sexual predators come in all shapes, sizes, and genders. The common reactions she mentions here are also true. Be safe, luvs.

            I GOT DATE TONIGHT W/1, Miley texted Alicia.  She was looking forward to it.  It certainly hadn't been easy!  Five had been right about One being hard to get to know.  The dancer was obviously very shy, constantly making polite excuses to move away from her and go back to his team or his friends any time she'd approached him.  But Seven assured her he was interested, and Five swore he just needed pushed a little, so she'd been a bit more aggressive than she normally was.  She showed up every time the Dream Team was anywhere near the Voice set, dogging One during tapings and rehearsals.  She frequently dropped in at Blake’s place when they were there.  She showed up out of the blue when the three were out in public.  It helped that Five, Seven, and Blake were all sending her secret texts, sometimes all three of them letting her know where One would be at any given time.  When she was able to buttonhole One, usually by clinging to his arm, he would listen but rarely contribute to the conversation.  After a while, he always came up with some excuse to pull away.  But Miley was nothing if not persistent, and making small talk was what she did best.  The more One resisted, the more she wanted him!  Five, Seven, and Blake were enjoying their coconspirator roles, subtly steering One towards her and conveniently not helping him when he sought them out as an escape route.  And it had paid off.  He'd finally agreed to spend some time with her tonight.

            “Not a proper date, of course,” he’d insisted.  “Mates.”

            “Of course!” she’d assured him.  “Just two friends spending time together!”

            Then she’d spent all morning getting her hair and nails done, getting a pedicure, and picking out the perfect outfit, sexy yet subtle, something that would appeal to the proper Brit.  One would be coming over tonight, just him and her for the first time ever!  She couldn't wait!  One was handsome and mysterious, and the fact that he was a ballet dancer was an unexpected turn-on.  Combined with his manners, his dress, and his bearing, he seemed elite, like an English prince.  Throw in the deep bedroom voice and the gorgeous gray eyes and Miley was having trouble remembering what she'd ever seen in Five.

            YOU GOT PLANS? came the reply.

            Oh, Miley certainly had plans!  Now that they’d finished taping the initial shows, the coaches had a break from the studio until the Lives.  She planned on spending as much time with One during those weeks as she possibly could!  But she needed to be careful.  Five and Seven had advised her to take things slow, and that was advice she was taking to heart.  The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away.  JUST WANT 2 TALK 2 HIM, she sent Alicia.  SO ORDERING IN AND WATCHING MOVIE.

            NOT LIKE LAST TIME, HUH?

            Last time?  Miley frowned in confusion.  ??? 1ST DATE!

            WHEN HE WAS PASSED OUT ON UR BED LOL

            Miley frowned harder.  THAT WAS 5

            _Incoming image file_

            Miley stared in shock at the picture.  There was One, passed out and sprawled across a bed as if he'd been thrown there.  The pink comforter and what was visible of the room in the picture showed that, without a doubt, it was her first floor guest bedroom.  But when had One ever been at her house?  WHERE U GET THIS?

            U SENT 2 ME, AFTER U SAVED HIM.  U SAID SOMEONE ROOFIED HIM, SHE ROOFIE U 2?

            THAT WAS 5!

            LOOKS LIKE 1 2 ME LOL

            Well, obviously it was One.  But nothing made sense.  She could clearly recall struggling with Five to get him out of the bar after the bitch had roofied him, how upset he'd become in the parking lot before she'd managed to get him into her car, and driving him home.  She also very clearly remembered the horrible scars she'd discovered.  It was obviously Five!

            Wait a minute.  Looking at the picture was triggering something.  She remembered him yelling at her, and the way his words slurred as he'd struggled against her.  But why was she remembering Five, an American tenor, with a baritone British voice?

            Miley's head suddenly throbbed.  She felt dizzy.  For a moment, she was sure she was going to throw up as spots appeared in her vision, the room spun, and nausea washed over her.  And suddenly, she had two sets of memories for the same night, one featuring Five, the other One.

            Her phone beeped as Alicia sent her another text.  She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear the spots as her head finally started to settle down, and read the message.  U OK?  U SEEM CONFUSED

            VERY CONFUSED.  REMEMBERING 2 DIFFERENT THINGS NOW, HEAD REALLY HURTS, THINK MAYBE I NEED DOCTOR

            U WANT ME 2 COME OVER?

            Miley considered it.  If she went to the hospital, and tried to explain the impossible doubling of her memory, she was afraid she'd be committed.  Alicia was always cool and confident.  She'd know what to do.  YES COME OVER PLZ

            OMW

            Alicia was at the door within half an hour, looking concerned.  Miley clung to the other coach.  "Girl, you are shaking like a leaf!" Alicia commented, hugging her tightly.  "You want me to take you to the hospital?"

            "No, I just want to understand what's going on!"  She made her way to the couch, greatly assisted by Alicia, and sat down.  "Alicia, I could have sworn on a stack of Bibles that it was Five I saved, not One.  And a couple days later, I went over to Blake's and we talked about it, Five and I.  He was really cool about it, considering…  Considering.  But I definitely talked to Five.  One was there, but I didn't speak to him at all!"  She frowned.  "Actually, that's weird, because that was when Five started suggesting I ask One out.  But I didn't talk to One then.  I left shortly after that.  And I didn't think anything about it until you sent me that picture!  Now, I still remember it being Five who was here, but I'm remembering Five with a deep voice and One's accent!  And when I started thinking about _that,_ suddenly I remembered One being here!"

            Alicia frowned.  "That does not make sense."

            "I know, right?  In retrospect, Five isn't even my type.  He's nice and cute, but he's old enough to be my dad and I'm really not into that, especially when One's right there!  And see, here we go again, because now I also remember saving One!  And honestly, One just makes more sense.  That memory feels more real, because the voice matches."  She suddenly looked indignant.  "Do you know he called me a barmy cow while he was stoned?"

            Alicia couldn't help but laugh.  "Ok, that definitely sounds more like One than Five.  And that is absolutely One in that picture you sent me that night.  Here."  She pulled out her phone and pulled up the picture.  "All you said was, 'Look who I saved after some bitch roofied him!  Miley Cyrus, singer, actress, coach and hero!'  It was pretty funny, and I was very proud of you.  Not many would have gotten involved, especially not that much.  You're a real decent person, Miley."

            Miley squirmed.  "I couldn't just let that bitch take him.  She roofied him, caused a big distraction, and then tried to drag him away.  I literally had to grab him and yell at her to make her let him go.  If she’d gotten him out, God only knows what might have happened to him!”

            “A lot of people don’t think it’s possible for a girl to rape a guy, but it is,” Alicia said quietly.  “It happened to a friend of mine.  He was stoned and he didn’t want it, but she tied him down, and the body does what the body does.  It was awful for him, Miley.  He was never the same.  What you did, whoever you did it for, was a really good thing.”

            Miley smiled, but it quickly faded.  “I just wish I could understand what is going on!  I checked my phone, and I don't have that picture or any record that I sent anything at all to you that night.  And that's the number for this phone that sent you that picture, my personal cell phone, that only I use!  So why is there nothing on my phone?  Ugh, I still have a throbbing headache!"

            "Well," Alicia suggested, "you said you went to Blake's place and talked to Five the next day, right?  So, Blake would know.  What if we called him?"

            Miley felt stupid.  "Why didn't I think of that?  Better idea, let's go over there!  If someone's playing a prank, he's involved and I'm going to punch his big dumb country face!"

            "No violence!" Alicia laughed.  "You sure you're ok?  You don't want to go to the hospital?"

            "I'm not ok, but I don't want to go."  Miley's blue eyes were troubled and wet.  "Thanks, Alicia.  You're a good friend.  Do you mind driving, though?  My head is still killing me."

            "Let me call him first and make sure he's home."  Alicia quickly dialed Blake as Miley got her shoes on.  "He's home and he'll wait for us," the older woman announced when she returned.  "And he also said that the other three aren't there.  They went to do some secret mission for whatever company they work for now.”  She shook her head.  “Isn't that just the strangest thing?  Good for Seven making that kind of change in his life.  I read that male rape victims often respond by becoming hypersexual, or workaholics.  I think Seven’s gone the workaholic route, but of all the jobs!”

            “God knows he's got all the reason in the world for needing a drastic change.  But I'm still surprised that he's in some kind of militia now,” Miley agreed.  "Something else we can ask Blake about."

            "Yeah, let's all talk.  We should have done this before."

            "For real!  Maybe I wouldn't have this headache."

****

            Blake barely said a word as he listened to Miley's story and saw the picture she'd sent Alicia.  His eyes looked troubled as he sat back, lost in thought.  "That was Five you dragged off in the bar, Miley," he said at last.  "Seven saw you pulling him out.  One wasn't with us that night.  He had to go somewhere classified and canceled at the last minute, so I just took the other two.  What you just told me is impossible!"

            "There is one piece of concrete evidence here," Alicia declared, holding up her phone, "and that is this picture.  Because that is One, and that is the time and place that you're both remembering Five being.  So two questions right now.  First, how?  How can you both remember something that isn't true, and apparently Five himself remembers the same thing?  And second, why?  What difference does it make which one of them got roofied that night?  That's a lot of trouble to go through to change a single fact.  There's got to be a good reason!"

            "Well, it's got to be something to do with wherever Five really was that night," Blake suggested.  "If One was with Miley, that's him accounted for.  I don't know where Seven went, but I know who he was with.  But where was Five?  The only reason to pretend he was somewhere else is because someone doesn't want us to know where he really was!"

            Miley stared at Blake, wide-eyed.  "You are so much smarter than you look!"

            "Thanks, I think?  Miley, you remember two different memories now, right?"  When she nodded, he went on.  "Ok, what do you remember Five doing before he got roofied?"

            "Shooting pool," she said.  "He was really good at it, too.  It's pretty much all he did all night, except when Black Haired Bitch pulled him out for a dance and tried to kiss him."

            Blake frowned.  "Ok, that's weird.  I remember him shooting a match or two, but he spent more time with darts or pinball.  Honestly, most of the time he spent talking to every woman in the bar.  Guy was a real ladies' man!"

            "Huh?  He barely spoke a word to anyone that didn't have to do with pool!  I tried all night to get him to talk to me, and barely got a peep out of him."

            "Whoa!" Alicia called.  "Major difference in memories!  Ok, now we have a place to start."  She turned to Miley.  "You have two memories, so what are Five and One doing in that other memory, the one where it was One that went home with you?"

            "It was One shooting pool, sharking.  He actually won a fair amount of money that night," Miley recalled.  "And yes, Blake, Five was the star of the bar!  He was telling these great stories about how he used to be a cowboy at his uncle's Texas ranch and the women were just hanging all over him.  I even got so distracted at one point that I wasn't paying attention to One, and that was when Black Haired Bitch pulled him out to dance.  It was so gross, Alicia!  She was all over him the whole time, and then she tried to kiss him!  One didn't like it at all.  He got away from her, told her to leave him alone, and went right back to the pool table.  But she actually followed him!  I had to get her to back off.  And that's when I really knew she'd drugged him, because he was stumbling and slurring all over the place when he'd only had one beer."

            "What about Five?" Alicia asked. 

            "I don't remember Five acting funny at all until after the bar fight when Miley dragged him off," Blake offered.  "Then the cops came and Seven and I wound up in the drunk tank."

            "Oh!" Miley exclaimed.  "I'm sorry, I did not know that!  I'm surprised it wasn't all over the news."

            "Probably would have been, but Unum, their boss, apparently has a lot of pull.  He got Seven and me out of jail and had his car drop me off at my place, where I promptly crawled into a bottle.  Drained all the booze in my house, so forgive me if my memory of that night is a bit hazy.  But I don't remember One being there at all!"

            "One is the reason that the big fight started, indirectly," Miley mused.  She crooked a finger and tapped it thoughtfully on her chin.  "Five almost got into a fight earlier because some dumb broad was hanging on him in front of her boyfriend."

            "I remember that," Blake confirmed.  "Seven and I were having a real conversation, finally, before it happened.  He got in the middle of it and settled them down.  But then there was some kind of commotion, and Five went after some other guy and tossed him over the pool table.  I have no idea why."

            "It was Black Haired Bitch," Miley explained.  "She got that guy to get in One's face and push him into a wall, probably so she could make a scene and get out with One.  But Five got involved, and then Seven stepped in to try to calm things down.  The huge fight started because the douche called Seven a faggot and you practically curb stomped his sorry ass, Blake!"

            "I do remember that," Blake growled.

            Miley grinned and clapped her hands.  "That was awesome, by the way!"

            "Didn't feel so awesome afterwards," Blake sighed.  "We got arrested, and Seven's new boyfriend Unum had to get us out.  Yeah," he said glumly, seeing the shocked expression on Alicia's face.  "Seven's new boss is also his new boyfriend.  Looks like I missed my chance."

            "I feel for you, man.  That is tough," Alicia comforted.  "Was that how you found out?"

            "It was," Blake grumbled, getting upset.  "I had no idea Seven had moved on until then.  I mean, things were pretty awkward between us until we talked it out at the bar, but then the fight happened and that pretty much ended our conversation.  I'm sure Adam would have told me otherwise.  But this Unum douche, he came into the cell to get us out, strolled right over, and started kissing Adam right in front of me!  I was stunned, and Five really got in his face over it afterwards."

            Miley frowned in confusion and opened her mouth, but Alicia quickly grabbed her arm and squeezed, her eyes on Blake.  "What do you mean?" Alicia asked.  "Five didn't approve?"

            "Well, he sure as hell didn't approve of how I found out!" Blake snapped.  "And sure, Unum apologized for it, but he flat out admitted that he'd been intimidated by me and my past with Adam.  He even came a couple of days later while the guys were here and gave me this watch as a peace offering."  Blake displayed his new watch.  "Really nice, as you can see, but I'm damned glad it's waterproof because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it off.  Thinking I may actually have to go to a jeweler or something."

            "What happened after this boyfriend got you out of jail?" Alicia asked casually.

            "He took Adam and disappeared," Blake replied.  "And I mean, like, poof, gone, turned around and no one there.  Penn and Teller style, you know?  Five was pissed off about that, too, saying Unum likes to show off.  Probably why he had that big fancy car drive us home, to make himself seem like the alpha dog.  Shoving it in my face that he's got Adam now, even though he's a scrawny, arrogant little fucker and I cannot believe that he's the one that saved Adam from Breaker!"

            Both women were startled now.  But Blake was on a roll.  "I'm trying to be the better man, girls, I swear to you I am!  But I'm so fucking sick and tired of hearing about how great Unum is!  Adam gushes about him, One acts like a puppy desperate for a treat and jumps to obey his every whim, and Five's apparently his best friend and thinks he's the best boss in the world!  And you know, that's some seriously fucked up shit, with Five!  Because the night after the bar fight, Five was going on and on about what an asshole the guy was, how much he couldn't stand him…"

            Blake suddenly gave a sharp cry and grabbed at his head.  Both women jumped up in alarm, moving to the country star as he moaned.  "Blake?" Miley asked.  "Is it happening to you, too?  Two sets of memories?"

            "No, three!" Blake groaned.  "I swear, I went home that night and drank my broken heart away, but I’m remembering two slightly different versions of it.  And I also remember talking for hours to Five, up half the damned night with him, telling him about me and Adam.  And then he told me…  He told me…"  He whimpered, swayed, and almost fell out of his chair.

            "You're remembering the truth, Blake!" Miley encouraged, helping Alicia to steady the big man.  "Let it come.  Whatever he told you, it must be the reason our memories got switched around!"

            "No one can switch memories!" Alicia exclaimed, looking troubled.  "I'm seeing that it happened, but that's not possible!"

            "What if it is?"  Blake had spoken, his voice so soft the women had to strain to hear him.  Blake was leaning forward on the table, cradling his head in his hands.  "What if altering someone's memories is possible, and I know who could do it?  Because it wasn’t just that night that got altered.  It’s damned near everything I know about these guys!  And now I’m remembering, and I know who could do it!"

            "Who?"

            "One," Blake replied.  "One could do it.  And I think he did.  Miley, do you remember, at any time, seeing One's eyes glow green?"

            Her own eyes widened.  "Yes!  He had some kind of panic attack and his eyes were glowing when he was stoned!"

            "What about after that?" Blake pressed.  "Because I remember you coming over and telling me that it was One you'd taken home, not Five, and showing me that same picture.  Now your memories are changed and the picture is off your phone.  If you hadn't sent that to Alicia, we might never have figured it out!"

            "But if someone wiped it from her phone, all they had to do was look at her records to see she'd sent it to me.  And they did, because they wiped that, too," Alicia pointed out.  "There’s nothing at all on her phone to indicate that picture ever existed.  Someone had to have seen that she’d e-mailed it to me!  So why are my memories intact?  How's come that picture is still on my phone?  I spent enough time around all three of those guys that if they did what you think they did, neither of those things should be true!"

            "I don't know," Blake confessed.  "One thing at a time, though.  Miley, at any point the morning after the fight when you came over were you alone with One?"

            "Yes," Miley said softly.  "Seven sent me upstairs to talk to him.  Blake, he's in on it!  Seven came in and saw me show you something on my phone, and he sent me up to One!  That’s how they knew to check my phone and wipe my memories!"

            "Seems to me that they're all in on it," Alicia declared.  "Five had to have played some part, too.  Blake, you need to remember exactly what it was he told you that night.  The answer needs to be there.  But first, maybe you should explain how it is that you think One can alter people's memories?"

            "If I tell you, it might put you girls in danger," Blake warned.

            "Blake, I had my memory manipulated," Miley said bluntly.  "I'm already in danger.  But maybe Alicia should go?  You got kids!"

            "My kids are what I'm worried about.  Whoever wiped your phone has to know you sent me that picture of One," Alicia said.  Her lovely face was wrinkled in concern.  "I'm involved now regardless.  So let's hear it, Blake."

            Blake explained everything he knew about the three, their defined roles, the things they'd let slip, and what he'd observed.  "One's a telepath, Adam's an empath, and Five is a super strong tactile healer," he declared.  "I know it sounds crazy, but I believe it!  That night, Five filled in a lot more of the missing pieces.  The memory got covered over twice, so it’s really hazy, but the more I think about it, the more I’m remembering.  Apparently, Breaker took them all, a total of seven people not including the ones that died, and tortured them until they broke completely.  He did it so he could somehow integrate them, force their minds together to bring out more of their latent powers.  That's where it all comes from, what they can do.  Adam told me he'd always been an empath, although he could only sense emotions and not manipulate them.  But One told me that, after Adam got his mind integrated, he has manipulated the emotions of other people so much that he has literally driven them insane!"

            "That's not Adam at all!" Miley exclaimed.  "I got to know him a bit when I guest coached, and he's not like that!"

            "If Breaker tortured him for seven days and broke him, Miley?  That's got to change someone," Alicia said, squeezing Miley's hand.  "And this integration thing makes a certain amount of sense.  They do say that the human mind has a huge amount of untapped potential.  Telepathy, empathy, and chi?  I won't say it can't happen.  But it brings up some very disturbing questions.  On one hand, it's another step in human evolution that people like these three guys exist.  But someone has twisted those gifts.  Just because Adam can sense emotions doesn't mean he should manipulate them!  Emotions come from your core, from who you are inside, and they're part of what makes you special.  And One?  Blake, you're telling me that he can take away your God given right to free will!  No one should be permitted to do that.  It isn't right, and it should be exposed."

            "And then what happens to Adam and the others?" Blake wanted to know.  "I know I'm not the best person to judge, but it's not like Adam to be with someone like Unum, either.  Adam wasn't ever one to put up with or make excuses for someone manipulating or being possessive over him.  That's precisely why he broke it off with his last girlfriend!  And if Unum's really the douchebag that Five seems to believe he is, that's not someone Adam would want anything to do with.  So honestly, I can't help but think that maybe Adam, hell maybe all three of them, are being controlled themselves.  Five tried to reassure me, but the way that he and Adam both paled when Unum talked about reintegrating them?”  He looked at the girls, his blue eyes troubled.  “I'm worried.  That asshole clearly has a lot of power over them, but he’s also got a lot of influence.  He said there won't even be any record of me getting my sorry ass thrown in jail for that fight, even though Five apparently threw a cop over the bar!  That is not something that LA's finest would generally overlook.  Without Unum to protect them, what's to keep all three of them from getting dissected in some lab somewhere?"

            "But Blake, the only thing we know is that they've already messed with your mind, and Miley's as well," Alicia pointed out.  "We can think about the 'what if' after we address the 'what did.'  Because that's real, that's a violation of your right to free will as human beings, and that has to be stopped!"

            "I don't understand what they're even doing here!" Miley complained.  "If they're part of this huge international conspiracy, why are they coaching a team on The Voice?"

            "They're not.  That's just a cover," Blake explained.  "Apparently, they're here to protect me.  Yeah, I feel the same way," he went on, seeing the expressions on their faces.  "Three supermen assigned to protect me!  And they won't give me the first clue about why, or from whom.  Five insisted they hadn't been told.  You remember that silver foil they took off the back of Adam's contract?  That's apparently how they get their orders.  And get this, girls.  They get a gold ticket like that?  It's a kill order.  Yeah," he agreed, noting their reactions.  "Apparently they've taken lives just because someone gave them a piece of gold foil with someone's name on it.  And One said that all they get is a name and information to find the person.  They're killing people, and they don't even know why!  So really, is it any surprise that they're protecting me and have no specifics on that, either?"

            "So how do they know when they have to actually protect you?" Miley wanted to know.

            "I know exactly as much as you do now," Blake sighed.  "But now you see why I told you to stay away from One, before they mindwiped me.  These guys are dangerous, Miley, and you shouldn’t be anywhere near them.  You could get hurt or even killed!"

            "Blake?" Alicia called.  "Miley has a date with One tonight."

            Blake froze, and Miley went pale.  "What do I do?" Miley squeaked.  "Call and cancel, tell him I'm sick?  As hard as I worked to get him to agree to this, he's going to know something's up!  But if he's a telepath, he'll read my mind and know that I know, and then he'll zap me into a mindless zombie, and…!"

            "Calm down!" Blake snapped sharply, startling Miley out of her oncoming panic attack.  "Dammit, there's something important I've forgotten.  Five told me something else the end of that night, something super important that he said he'd get in big trouble if Unum found out about.  Honestly, it might be reason enough to wipe my memory all by itself because it feels that important!  But my damned head is pounding so much I can't think of it!  It was something about hell, how Breaker put him through hell.  You know that after Breaker tortured him until he broke, that son of a bitch kept Five for another sixteen months?  And that he'd fucked Five's head up so much that he watched Breaker torture three other people?"

            Miley wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.  "One's covered with scars, from his chest down to his ankles.  He's got Breaker's name carved here," she indicated just under her left clavicle, "and Five indicated that he's got the same scars.  I saw some of them, the rope burns on his wrist.  So I bet Adam does, too.  They probably all have their numbers branded into their arms, too!  And his back!  Blake, One had these awful scars all over his back!"

            "Five mentioned that Breaker took a bullwhip to him," Blake recalled, looking serious.  "It kind of sounds like he did the same sort of thing to all three of them."

            Miley gagged.  "How could you do that to another human being, just to make some kind of living weapon?  No wonder One's crazy and going around wiping people's minds!"

            "I still think he's being controlled himself," Blake insisted.  “They all are!”

            "Blake, all the respect in the world to you, but you gotta think with your head instead of your heart," Alicia cautioned.  "This isn't about you and Adam right now, alright?  Even if those guys are being controlled, we need to find a way to protect Miley.  That's where we need to put our focus now."

            "You're right, of course."  Blake frowned.  "Ok, when and where are you supposed to meet One?"

            "Here, at 7pm," Miley said.  She was shaking again.  "He said he'd meet me at your gate."

            "Makes sense.  They've been camped out up on the hill across the road since the first day taping the blinds."

            "Um, no way," Alicia called.  "I can tell you for a fact that One, at least, has not been camping, not unless they've got an RV up there.  Every time you see him, he's well dressed, usually wearing a tie, with clean shoes and everything ironed.  First time I saw him, I assumed he was married because he was that well put together!  That doesn't happen in a camp on a hill!  They're lying to you, Blake.  There's no way they're camping.  Have you seen this camp?"

            Blake felt stupid.  He hadn't even thought about One's habitual neatness making a lie out of his camping story.  Trust a woman to come up with that.  And of course, the other obvious question she'd asked was embarrassing to answer as well.  "No," Blake said slowly.  "I have never been out to their camp.  And they're not in it now.  They said they'd probably be gone all day and wouldn't see me until tomorrow morning.  But Miley, you said One was going to meet up with you at seven tonight?"  He checked his watch.  "That is four and a half hours from now."  He got up.

            "I'm coming with you!" Miley declared.

            "Me, too," Alicia added.

            "No," Blake said.  "I don't think either of you should go up there.  Alicia, you especially, because you're the only one who hasn't been affected.  Why don't you take your car, go somewhere out of sight, and keep in touch with Miley?  Miley, you go out front and keep an eye on me.  I'll give you a play by play on what I find up there where they're camping and you can relate it to Alicia.  That way, if anything happens, Miley can warn Alicia and you can both make a run for it."

            "Blake…" Alicia began, frowning.

            "I need to know, Alicia!" Blake insisted.  "And this is the best chance I have to find out what is really going on."

****

            Miley was experiencing the longest moment of her life.  Blake had provided her with a pair of binoculars, and she was using them to follow Blake as he made his way up the hill, searching for the camp.  He'd previously used the binoculars and discovered the small tent.  As Miley watched, he was approaching it now.  Miley was pleased to note the obvious caution that the big man was taking, marking his surroundings and moving with care towards the tent.  From her perspective, the tent barely looked large enough to hold three grown men, especially not six footers like One and Seven.  By the puzzled look she could see on Blake's face, he may have thought the same.  She looked around the camp as he did, seeing the lack of equipment.  It looked like the only thing there was the tent.

            And then Blake reached out, unzipped the flap, and peered inside.

            For a moment, he stayed as he was, looking into the tent as Miley reminded herself to breathe.  And then he stepped into the tent and vanished for a moment from her sight.  Miley pulled out her phone, holding it in one hand as she watched the tent, waiting for his call.  When it came, she nearly dropped the phone.  "What is it?" she asked.

            "Nothing," Blake's voice replied.  "They've got a couple of camp mats on the floor of the tent, some blankets, and a big overstuffed bean bag.  That's it.  That is all that there is!  No gear, no clothes, certainly no ironing board.  Alicia was right!  They're not really camping out up here.  Miley, they've been lying to me right from the start!  What the hell for?"

            "Never mind that," she snapped.  "Just come back down!  I'll let Alicia know.  Then we need to decide what to do next."

            "I just can't believe how much he's lied," Blake groaned.  "He was right.  He really isn't Adam Levine anymore.  Adam never would have lied to me like this!  Are they really even here to protect me at all?  Or am I just being set up for something, Miley?"

            "Blake!"  Miley's voice was sharp.  "Come down.  I have a date with One in just a few hours and I am terrified, and I need for the three of us to come up with some kind of plan!  I need you, Blake!  Now get down here, ok?  Please!"

            Miley had been ashamed at the way her voice cracked in the end, but it got through to Blake.  "Ok, honey, ok," he'd soothed, quickly coming out of the tent and zipping it back up.  "I'm coming.  I'll be right there."

            And to his credit, he'd made the trip back in record time, arriving just as Alicia returned to help make plans.


	16. Team Blake Goes to the Battle Rounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miley picks up One for her date, ready to put their plan into action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, mind the tags.
> 
> May be away for a day or so, with access to e-mail but not the ability to update. Sorry about how this ends, but there really isn't a "good" ending place for a bit here.

            Miley barely had enough time to let Alicia drive her home, change, and return in her own vehicle in time to meet One.  He was waiting patiently for her, standing at Blake's gate wearing a black dress shirt and tie, gray slacks, and his dress shoes, looking just as proper and handsome as he ever did.  When Miley pulled up, he gave her a shy smile.  "Good to see you again, Miss Cyrus," he said by way of greeting.

            Miley smiled back.  "Good to see you, too.  C'mon, hop in, I've got dinner ordered and the movie ready."

            One climbed in, and Miley couldn't help but admire the graceful way he moved.  Despite the fact that she was currently extremely nervous, she still found One very attractive.  Too bad, really.  She would have really liked to have pursued a relationship with him.  Why was it that the best-looking guys were either gay, married, or brain-sucking telepaths?

            She wasn't surprised that he didn't talk during the short trip back to her place.  She'd become used to One's silence, and tonight he seemed more shy and nervous than usual.  He did, however, look strangely at her.  "You aren't saying much," he commented.

            Of course.  Normally, she chattered non-stop around him.  "Just nervous, I guess," she said truthfully.  "Tonight's kind of a big night."

            "Oh?"  He cocked an eyebrow.  "What do you mean?"

            "You'll see," she promised, giving him a sly wink.  "I have a little surprise in store for you tonight."

            "A surprise?"  Now he was frowning a bit.  "I am not typically fond of surprises, Miss Cyrus."

            "Do you think, maybe, you could just call me Miley?"

            "Miley.  Surprises tend to go pear shaped with me.  Can I at least have a hint?"

            "Nope!"  Miley hummed to herself, trying to focus on the road even as she concentrated on the image of a candlelight meal, wine in stemware, and soft music.  She had no idea if the telepath would buy it.  But then she heard him sigh, and from the corner of her eye, she caught his resigned expression.  Well, that was disappointing.  But at least it probably meant he’d believed it, right?  Maybe their plan could work after all!  Fighting back her excitement, she maintained the image even as they pulled into her driveway and she let him into her house.

            "The food should get here soon," Miley called, hurrying ahead of him.  "I thought we could maybe have some drinks?"

            "I'm not really much of a drinker, to be honest," One said cautiously.

            "One glass of wine?" she pleaded.  "Go sit down, I'll bring it."  She rushed into the kitchen and quickly grabbed the waiting glasses.  This was the trickiest part of the plan.  She poured the wine and, humming loudly enough to be heard and thinking about a romantic dinner, she tucked a pair of candles under her arm, slipped a lighter into her pocket, and picked up the glasses.  Then she returned to her living room, handing the glass in her right hand to One.  He took it with obvious reluctance.

            “I’m not sure candles are appropriate for watching a movie,” One called nervously as she set the candles on the table.

            “Everything’s better by candlelight!”  Miley lit the candles, turned off the lights, and smiled at him.  “See?  You look so handsome!”

            He cleared his throat.  “I thought I was clear that we’re spending time together as mates.  This isn’t a proper date!  It’s naught to do with you, Miley, I’m just not at a point in my life where I can pursue a romantic relationship.”

            “Doesn’t mean we can’t have wine and candlelight!”

            One gave a rueful smile.  "I suppose.  Cheers, then," he said.

            "We should make a toast," Miley declared.  "To the start of a great relationship?"

            One raised his glass, touched it to hers, and took a small sip of the wine.  He moved to put the glass onto the table, but paused when she laughed.  "That's all the more you think of our relationship?" Miley asked, incredulous.  "One sip?  I drained my glass dry!"

            "I'm afraid I haven't much of a head for alcohol," he began.

            She shook her finger in his face.  "Nuh uh!  I don't care if you don't touch another drop, but you're finishing that glass, mister!  Now down the hatch!"

            One eyed her, took in her stubborn expression, and sighed.  "To our friendship, then," he said.  Raising the glass to her again, he quickly drained it.

            Miley beamed.  She sat next to him on the couch, sliding so she was almost touching him, and turned on the TV.  "I got three choices, a romantic comedy, a love story, or an action adventure.  What's your poison?"

            "Action, I should think," he said quickly.

            She giggled.  "You're so shy and cute!  I should give you some more wine just to get you to loosen up."

            He groaned.  "Don't tell me Five gave you the line about my needing surgery to get the stick out of my arse?"

            "He did, yeah.  But you know, you are kind of stiff," she pointed out.  She climbed up onto the couch and cracked her knuckles loudly.  Then she began kneading his neck and shoulders. 

            He flinched at her touch.  “Please don’t touch me?”

            “Would you settle down?  Just relax.”

            He managed to loosen up a bit.  But a moment later, he was tilting his head back, his eyes half-closed.  “That does feel rather good,” he admitted.

            “See?  It won’t hurt you to relax, One, and you might even enjoy yourself!”  She brightened, hearing the doorbell ring.  "That's dinner," she called.  "Let me get it."

            Dinner was Chinese, which One had mentioned enjoying.  Miley started the movie.  He was finally starting to relax, making sport of the movie as they ate.  He even accepted and drank half of a second glass of wine when Miley offered for the third time.  Before long, he was leaning limply against the side of the couch.  Miley slipped her arm across his shoulders, gently pulling him over.  He resisted at first, looking uncomfortable.  But she reached her other arm around and started petting his hair.  Soon enough he relaxed, letting her pull him until his head rested on her shoulder.  His eyes closed almost immediately, and he let out his breath in a long sigh.

            Miley tapped out a rapid text.  Then she looked at him.  "You don't get out much, do you?"

            "Our boss doesn't let us have much in the way of personal freedom," he replied.  "If he knew I was here, he'd be quite cross."

            That made her frown.  "Why?  What's wrong with you being here?"

            "It's complicated.  Suffice to say I'm strongly discouraged from being away from my brothers."  He shifted, sat back up.  “I should get back to them.  Forgive me, but I’m suddenly feeling knackered.”

            Miley immediately slid closer, wrapping her arm around him as he swayed to keep him from falling off of the couch.  He resisted a bit, but she kept pulling and eventually, he was lying across her lap.  He frowned.  “What are you doing?”

            “Shh,” she shushed.  Her fingers were back in his hair, one hand on his chest to keep him still.  “Isn’t this nice, just you and me?”

            He was still frowning, but he didn’t try to sit up again.  “Please take me back?  I need to get to my brothers.”

            “You know, there’s more to life than just constantly being with your brothers,” Miley stressed.  "I get that you guys are close and part of some elite team, but you still need you time, you know?  Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

            "Actually, I was engaged to be married."

            That shocked Miley.  "Married?"

            He nodded and held up his hand, displaying the ruby ring.  “This was supposed to be my wedding ring.  She had one to match.”

            “But you’re single!  You are single, right?”

            “I never made it to the wedding.”  His voice had gone soft, his eyes distant, lost in his memories.  "I had just finished finalizing arrangements for my honeymoon and was heading to my car to drive to the church for my wedding when…."

            Miley cocked an eyebrow when he suddenly stopped talking.  "Don't leave me hanging!  When what?"

            His eyes squeezed tightly shut.  “Nothing.  Never mind.  Let me up?”

            "Uh, what?” Miley exclaimed.  “You’re seriously not going to tell me?  Nuh uh, you’re not getting off the hook that easily!  One, what happened?  Why didn’t you get to your wedding?”  She sucked in her breath.  “Was _that_ when Breaker took you?”

            His eyes grew wide.  Shoving her hands aside, he sat up, staring at her in alarm.

            Miley cradled his face in her hands.  “What happened, baby?  What did he do to you?  Did he do like he did to Adam, choke you until your eyes glowed?  Because they do, don’t they?  Because you’re a telepath!”

            He startled, his face going pale.  “You know!”

            “I know.  And Seven’s an empath, and Five’s super strong.  I remember, One.  I remember your scars.  He tortured you, didn’t he?  Whipped you, burned you, branded your number into your arm and carved his name into your chest.  And I’m so sorry you went through that!  What that monster did to you was bad enough.  But to take you on your wedding day?  There just aren’t words!”  Miley knew she was playing a dangerous game.  But somehow, she couldn’t believe that One would hurt her.

            Fortunately, One looked more afraid than dangerous.  He grabbed her hands, holding them against his chest.  “You mustn’t tell anyone!” he pleaded.  “It’s dangerous to know!”

            “It’s ok, One.”  She pulled her hands free and pulled him closer, turning him so his back was to her.  Then she held him close as she stroked his hair again.  He resisted a little, but allowed her to position him.  Miley kissed the top of his head.  “So Breaker took you first?  He started with a telepath?”  When he didn’t answer, she gave him a little shake.  “You may as well come clean.  It helps, you know, to talk about it?”

            “This isn’t a game!” he exclaimed.  “This is dangerous!”

            “Tell me,” she urged.  “He started with a telepath.  What for?”

            “Had to,” he sighed.  “Have to start with the mind, always.  Lose the telepathic element, and the entire trio collapses.  So he had to start with me.  He came up behind me in the parking lot, grabbed me, pushed me down on the bonnet and tied me up.  Then he took me to some empty building somewhere and demanded I show him what I was.  When I didn’t understand, he started hitting me.  Then he choked me until I finally showed him.  Until he hit me, I thought it was my mates taking the piss out of me one last time.  But it wasn’t, and he’d taken me away, and for five days he tortured me.  At first, I could pass out and have an escape of sorts.  But then if I passed out, I’d wake up with him on top of me, forcing himself on me, so I didn’t even have that anymore.  Every day, he’d torture me, on and on, until I just broke completely!  There was nothing I could do.  I was trapped then, and I’ve been trapped ever since!” 

            Miley swallowed hard.  “I’m so sorry.  I wish I could help you!”

            “As do I.”  His eyes had closed again, and he leaned into her touch.  “I’m sorry as well.  I appreciate that you let me tell you, as I’ve never spoken of this to anyone.  But I can’t let you keep this knowledge.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean it’s too dangerous for you to know.  Forgive me, Miley.  But I need to erase your memories.”

            “Oh, I don’t think so.”  Miley looked towards the sound of footsteps to see that Blake and Alicia had come into the house.  “You were right, Blake,” she called.  “He did wipe our memories, and he just told me he’s planning to do it again!”

            “Not gonna happen, One,” Blake called.  “Not now, and not ever again!”

            At first One only blinked at them, uncomprehending.  He turned to regard Miley.  Then he quickly sat upright.  His hand went to his head, and his eyes locked onto his wine glass.  "What have you done?" he slurred.

            "More like, what have _you_ done," Miley accused.  "At least we know you can't mess with our minds when you're roofied!"

            "Hey, buddy," Blake called, reaching for him.  "Let's talk."

            One apparently hadn't yet had enough time for the drug Miley had slipped into his drink to work.  The nimble dancer was up like a shot, dodging Blake and racing, stumbling, for the door.  Blake swore and charged after him.  He managed to catch One with a flying tackle in the entryway. 

            The telepath went down with a grunt a few feet from the front door.  "No!  Let go of me!"

            Blake cursed again as he saw himself involuntarily release One.  But the ladies were there, grabbing One's arms, dragging him back down as he tried to get up and letting Blake pounce on him again.  He struggled frantically for a moment, trying without success to throw the three off.  Then he suddenly went still.  "Get off me!"

            "Not a chance.  We need talk about…"

            "Blake!" Alicia shrieked.

            Blake realized that all three of them had just climbed off of One a moment before the telepath would have been out the door.  Blake lunged forward, slamming the door shut with one hand and jerking One back from it with the other.  One stumbled, his glowing green eyes wide in surprise as, windmilling his arms, he fell backwards, landing in a sprawl.  And then he was again at the bottom of a dog pile.

            "I thought you said he couldn't use his powers when he was roofied!" Alicia called.

            "He couldn't!  He was yelling at me the whole time to let him go, but I didn't!" Miley defended.  “Maybe I gave him the wrong thing?  God only knows what that bitch had in his drink that worked the first time!  He was so out of it I thought it was acid, and maybe it was!”

            One strained, his eyes still glowing a furious green.  "Get off of me!  Leave me alone!"

            This time, Blake could feel it, the almost irresistible suggestion to obey.  But to his relief, he not only could feel it, he could resist it as well.  As he watched, the light in One's eyes faded.  Relief flooded the faces of the two women, and Blake released his pent-up breath.

            The drug was finally taking effect.

            Unfortunately, One realized it, too.  But the fight wasn't out of him yet.  His knee shot up towards Blake's groin, narrowly missing and making Blake shift quickly.  Taking advantage of Blake’s distraction, One twisted his body, nearly managing to throw all three off as he tried to worm free.  But the three determined coaches held on stubbornly, pinning him down as he tried to squirm free.  "Stop, let me up!” he yelled.  “Why are you doing this?  You'll ruin everything!"

            "Let's talk about that, but first things first.  We’ve evened the odds a bit now.  Let’s go ahead and tip it back in our direction, shall we?"  Blake nodded to the girls and reached into his pocket.

            When the three had made their plans for Miley's date, they'd given some discussion about what to do to ensure their own safety.  Miley had argued profusely against tying One up, remembering his reaction when she'd joked about it.  But Alicia pointed out that someone who had carried multiple knives hidden in his clothing was dangerous, especially if he felt threatened.  In the end, they'd all agreed it was best.  But even though he'd agreed with the necessity, it still wasn't easy for Blake to actually force himself to do it.

            One had apparently figured out what they were going to do by the time they rolled him over onto his stomach and pulled his hands behind his back.  He strained, thrashing furiously as he tried to free himself.  Once again, his eyes had changed to glowing green.  “No!  _No!_ ” he screamed.  “Stop, I’m no threat to you, please!  Don’t do this!”

            “Sorry, buddy,” Blake called, genuinely sorry.  “But I’m afraid your trust level just isn’t there right now.”

            “No!”  The moment he felt cold steel close around his wrist, One went into a full panic, squirming and kicking with all his might, even trying to bite at his tormentors.  But between the full dose of the drug they'd procured from Miley's shady sources in his first glass and whatever he'd taken in from his second, One was quickly succumbing to its influence.  The ladies had little trouble holding him still while Blake closed the handcuffs he'd brought around his other wrist as well.  "Don't say a word," he called by way of warning as the two women exchanged a look upon seeing the cuffs.

            The three had expected One to go even further into panic mode once he was restrained.  Instead, he suddenly froze.  He lay on the ground, shaking and eyeing the three of them, his eyes reverting once more to gray.  When his eyes fell on Miley, they seemed to go hard.  "Why are you doing this to me?  I trusted you!"

            Miley, who had started stroking his hair to try to calm him, was taken aback.  "One, I'm sorry, I…!"

            "One?"  Alicia had moved forward, into his line of sight.  "I'm sorry about this.  But we've come to believe that you have not been acting in the best interests of Blake and Miley.  It seems they have two sets of memories.  Care to explain that?"

            "What would I know of it?"  He pulled hard at the cuffs and kicked at Blake as the larger man pulled him to his feet.  "Let me go!  My brothers know I’m here.  They’ll see you pay for this!"

            "You altered our memories, One," Blake insisted.  "We know you did!"

            "Yeah, and we want to know why!" Miley agreed.  "And you're going to tell us!"

            One's grey eyes suddenly grew hard again.  "Do you honestly believe," he growled, "that you can do anything to me that's not already been done?  Do your worst, mates, you'll get naught for your efforts!"

            Alicia sucked in her breath.  "One, we're not going to hurt you!"

            "Then let me go!  I can’t fight you and I'm not any sort of threat!  How dare you restrain me?"

            "How many knives do you have?" Blake asked bluntly.

            One grew silent.

            "Thought so," Blake sighed.  "And that's why we had to handcuff you.  We can't take the chance you'll hurt us."

            "If I wished to hurt you, I've had ample opportunity!" One insisted.  "We're here to protect you, Blake!  Everything we have done has been to protect you!  Why have you done this?  When Unum finds out, he'll pull us off the project!"

            "What project?"

            "Yours, you daft git!" One spat.  "Guarding you!  You’ve gone and arsed up everything, haven’t you?  If I'm compromised again, he'll have the excuse he needs to get us reassigned!  Then he'll bring us back to LB1 and you'll never see us, or _him,_ again!"

            Blake flinched as if slapped.  Then his face hardened in resolve.  He picked One up, and then tossed the telepath over his shoulder.

            "Oi!" One yelped.  "Put me down!"

            "Ok, your brothers can always find you, so they’ll come looking for you, right?  Then let's make it easy for them!  Girls, I'm taking him back to my place."

            "Blake, that wasn't the plan!" Alicia reminded.  "We were just going to talk to him here…"

            "…And he's bracing for torture!" Blake pointed out, frowning as One tried to throw himself sideways.  "He's not talking."

            “Put me down!”

            “One, be quiet and stop squirming!”

            "But Blake, if you take him back to your place, then Five and Seven are going to find him fast," Miley insisted.  "Even though One can't use his powers when he's roofied, we know for a fact that Five is still strong!  He was throwing people all over that bar, remember?"

            "Yeah, I do," Blake grunted, adjusting a protesting, squirming One over his shoulder.  "And we don’t know anything about what Adam can do when One’s like this.  His powers might still be intact, too.  That's why whatever happens is happening at my place, not yours."

            Both girls protested, but Blake was already starting out the door with One.  Outside, he pushed the drugged, weakly struggling young man into the backseat of his pickup and was surprised when Miley climbed in through the other door to help.  "Miley, what are you doing?"

            "I'm coming with you," she declared, pulling a protesting One across her lap and wrapping her arms around him.  "I can do it in your truck or just follow you, but I'm in this too, and I'm not letting you risk your neck alone.  Alicia can…"

            "I'm coming too," Alicia called, climbing in the front.  "If we're going, let's go!"

            "Be it on your own heads," Blake growled.  He was obviously not happy about the two women risking themselves.  But he knew better than to argue.  He got in, started the truck, and got it moving.

            One had stopped struggling once Miley had hold of him.  He glared resentfully up at her.  "I trusted you!" he accused again.  "How could you do this to me?  Let me go!"

            "I'm sorry," she soothed.  She stroked his hair, wincing as he grimaced and tried to pull away from her touch.  "Please calm down!  We won't hurt you."

            "You've already hurt me!" he snapped.  "You tricked me, drugged me, fucking handcuffed me!  There’s three of you against me, I feel like I can barely move, and you’ve trapped me!"

            She held him tight.  "And I feel terrible, but I didn't know what else to do!” she exclaimed.  “You changed my memories, One.  What would you have done?"

            "You could have bloody well just asked me why!” he said.  “It was just the two of us together, and we were having a chat.”

            “Where you threatened to wipe my memories!”

            “You didn't have to do this!” he yelled, jerking again on the cuffs.

            “What other choice was there?” Miley challenged.  “You wiped my memory once already, and you were threatening to do it again!”

            “I was only trying to protect you!” One exclaimed.  “You can’t know that information, it’s dangerous!”

            “One, you have no right to decide that for me, ok?”

            “She’s right.  That’s why we had to take steps to protect ourselves,” Alicia called, obviously listening from the front seat.  “There was only one thing that we knew we could do, one way to keep you from using your powers, and that was drugging you.”

            One frowned at Miley.  “What have you given me?”

            “Rohypnol,” Miley confessed.

            “You bitch!”

            “Hey!” Blake warned.

            “No!  I’m putting paid to the lot of you!”  One was trying to struggle again despite being very much under the influence, pulling against the cuffs.  “Bleeding, buggering fuck, why won’t everyone just leave me be?”

            “Because you’re wiping our memories!” Miley exclaimed.  “You’re a telepath!”

            “I can’t help what I am!  I was born a telepath, and I can’t change it, but that was never what defined me!  Then someone found out, and it’s been the only thing about me that’s mattered for four years now!  I haven’t hurt any of you.  I’m not a threat!  What I did caused no harm, and it was only to protect you!  Now you've ruined everything, we’ll get the sack on this project, and Unum will take us back and he'll never let us go again!"

            Miley stilled.  "You're really scared of this Unum guy, aren't you?"

            One shook his head.  "He’s powerful.  You don't understand.  You can't possibly understand."  He groaned, straining again at the cuffs.  “Please, I can’t stand this!  I can’t fight you, why won’t you let me go?”

            “We can’t right now, One,” Alicia said.  She reached a hand back behind her seat to rub at his arm.  “Honey, where’s your family?  Doesn’t anyone back in England miss you?”

            One looked confused.  “I…  I don’t know?”

            “You don’t know?” Alicia exchanged an incredulous look with Miley.  “How can you not know?”

            “What about your fiancé’?” Miley asked.  “The girl you were about to marry when Breaker took you?”

            _“Breaker took him on his wedding day?”_ Blake roared, nearly going off the road.  “That _motherfucker!_ ”

            “Blake!”

            Blake cringed.  “Sorry, Alicia.”

            “I understand the sentiment, though the language isn’t necessary.  One, what about her?  Isn’t she worried about you?  Does she even know what happened to you?”

            “She knows.”  His voice was so quiet they had to strain to hear.

            “Why didn’t you go back to her after you got away from Breaker?” Miley pressed.

            One didn’t answer.

            "Well," Blake began, "if you…"

            _"Blake!"_

            Alicia's scream came just as Blake instinctively slammed on the brakes, reacting to the sight of the two men who had just walked out onto the road directly in front of him.  The truck skidded to a halt to the screams of tires and passengers and stalled less than a foot away from Adam and Five as they stood in the street, passively watching its progress.

            Blake stomped the emergency brake in place.  "Stay here," he ordered as he climbed out.  Ignoring the frightened cries of the two women, Blake slammed his door shut and approached the two brothers.  They marked his approach with no more emotion than they'd regarded the truck.

            "Give our brother back," Adam ordered.  "Now!"

            "Don't think so," Blake challenged.

            “Dude, what the hell?” Five exclaimed.  “How could you take him and drug him again?”

            “We did what we had to do.  I’m sorry.”

            "Give him back, or we'll make you," Adam warned.

            Blake set his feet and crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest.  "No.  You want him back?  We want some answers!"

            "Blake…" Five warned, taking a menacing step closer.

            Alicia was there before Blake registered that she'd come out of the car, jumping in front of Blake with her arms outstretched, glaring defiantly at Five even as the three men blinked in surprise.  "You won't hurt us!" she declared.  "This is not going to end that way.  One's right, if you wanted to hurt us, you've had plenty of opportunity.  And we won't hurt you, either.  All we want is to talk."

            The two brothers looked at her in astonishment, and then looked at each other.  Blake gaped at Alicia.  What she'd just done had been the bravest, riskiest thing he'd ever seen in his life.  Behind him, he could hear Miley crying as she struggled with One.  One was yelling at her to let go of him, but she held on tightly.  She was clearly terrified, and yet she refused to release the only bargaining chip they had.  Somehow, Blake had fallen in with two remarkable women.

            Blake gently gripped Alicia's shoulder and pulled her back.  His eyes were fixed on Adam.  "Seven?" he began.  "You've told me that you left your name and your life behind you when you were integrated.  But Adam Levine would never hurt any of us!  If there is anything at all left of him in you, you won't hurt us, either.  Now, I get you're upset, and it doesn't help that you're probably feeling what we gave One again.  But we didn't hurt him.  We just had to have a way to talk to you without getting mindwiped again, ok?"

            No answer.  Adam's hazel eyes were hard as he regarded Blake.  Next to him, Five radiated menace, his blue eyes like chips of ice.

            "We're going to Blake's place," Alicia offered.  "Why don't you come with us?  We all really need to talk."

            "What are you even doing here, Alicia?" Five asked.

            "Doesn't matter," Adam snapped.  "Blake, let our brother go.  You had no right to do this to him!"

            "We'll talk about rights at the house," Blake snapped back.  "Just get in the fucking truck!"

            "Blake!"

            "Sorry, Alicia.  Get in the truck, everyone.  You two get in the back.  I'll get us all back to the house, and we'll talk.  We'll finally talk!"


	17. Heaven and Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake, Alicia and Miley have a chat with the Shard brothers, who are down but not out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back, for better or worse. Had some great comments on the last chapter. Really enjoy the speculation and questions! I've been keeping a list and so far I think they'll all be answered as we go, or have already been answered. Very much enjoying the interaction, cheers! For what it's worth, yes, we will be seeing some Shevine coming up very soon!
> 
> Another little public service, the danger of the drug used here as described by Five is accurate. Very dangerous drug for more reasons than one, and the danger of most drugs increased greatly when mixed with alcohol. Watch your drinks and stay safe, luvs!

            The rest of the trip to Blake's was spent in tense silence.  Five and Seven jumped out of the bed of the truck as soon as it was through the gate while it was still in motion, causing Blake to curse again as he parked the car in the garage and earning him a frown from Alicia.  By now, One was limp as a rag doll and barely conscious.  Miley held tightly to him until Blake gently picked him up and carried him into the house.  She and Alicia stayed close to Blake, acutely aware of the angry glares of the other two men as they followed them inside.

            Blake casually walked in and sat down with the drugged telepath in his lap on the center cushion of the sofa.  One moaned, pulling against the cuffs, his eyes closed.  “Lemme go,” he mumbled.

            “Soon, I promise,” Blake vowed.  He wrapped his arms around One, trying to provide what comfort he could.  To his surprise, One snuggled in against his chest, tucking his head under Blake's chin.  The gesture was so similar to something Adam had done so many times that for a moment, Blake almost habitually kissed the side of his neck.  But this was One, not Adam.  That wasn't even Adam sitting across from him.  Blake had to admit that to himself now. 

            "Ok," Alicia began, cautiously taking a seat next to Blake on the couch to face the two.  "We need to establish a mutually respectful situation here."

            "Mutually respectful?" Seven snapped.  "When you've got our brother drugged and handcuffed, trapped on Blake's lap?  This looks more like a hostage situation to me!"

            "What have you done to him?" Five asked.  His usually friendly face was twisted into an angry scowl, and his warm voice was now dripping with menace.

            "We didn't hurt him!" Miley defended, sitting down on the other side of Blake.  "We know that he altered our memories, mine and Blake's, and I know that he couldn't use his powers while he was roofied.  So, we roofied him again.  Now he can't hurt us!"

            "But I assure you, I can," Five warned.

            “Nuh uh!” Alicia scolded, holding up her hand.  “No threats!  Mutual respect.”

            "Then show our brother some respect!” Five countered.  “One’s barely conscious now, and he’s absolutely no threat to you.  There is no need to keep him restrained.  There wasn’t a need to restrain him in the first place!  He never would have hurt you, we’re here on a protection duty!  So why don't you let him go?  Now!"

            "Let him go, Blake," Alicia advised.  "Good way to start.  We aren't looking for anyone to get hurt.  All we want is some answers."

            Blake quickly undid One's handcuffs.  With a small sigh, One drew his arms up and snuggled against Blake's chest like a small child.  Blake smiled and patted him.

            Five wasn't amused.  He stood up, obviously intending to take One back.  But then he blinked, swayed, and stumbled, falling hard against the table.  "Fuck!  What the hell did you give him?"

            "Rohypnol," Miley explained.  "I made a few calls to some people, who made a few calls.  Kind of scary how easy it was to get it when you're offering double market value.  But it looks like maybe the odds here are a little more even than we thought?"

            Seven had risen to assist Five, and he glared at Miley's comment.  "You gave our baby brother a date rape drug?  You’re monsters!  Give him to us, Blake," he ordered.

            "I think maybe he's fine where he is.  That stuff’s hitting you guys, too.  Honestly, I think you might drop him," Blake observed.  "How about we talk now?"

            "I won't drop him!" Five snapped.  "Give him back!"

            "Five," Alicia began.

            But Five was having none of it.  "I'm a doctor, dammit, and I need to be sure he's ok.  If she got something off the street, only God knows what could be in it!  Just let me examine him for five minutes!"

            Blake found he couldn't argue with that.  “C’mere and check him out, then.  But I’m keeping him for now.”

            Five managed to get over without falling, went down on his knees, and did a quick exam.  "How much did you give him?" he exclaimed.

            "About a dose and a half?" Miley admitted.

            "What the fuck is wrong with you?  Rohypnol can depress respirations, shut down his breathing!  You could have really hurt him!" Five yelled.  "And you didn’t exactly have quality control, either.  You have no idea what else was in that shit, how it might have affected him!  And adding it to alcohol makes it even worse!  You’re damned lucky he’s still breathing at all!"

            "I don't make it a habit of drugging people's drinks, ok?" Miley shot back.  Her blue eyes were filling with tears.  "I was just trying to keep him from wiping our memories!  He was ok last time!  I didn’t know it could make him stop breathing, or I never would have given him more!  Please tell me he'll be alright?"

            "He'll be better away from you," Five snapped, ignoring the way she paled and flinched at that.  He was busy checking One's pulse, but seemed to have a real problem focusing.  He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath, rubbing at his brow with his free hand for a moment.  "This is a mess.  You don't even know how big of a mess this really is!"

            "One was saying something about that, that Unum would pull you guys off your project now?" Blake said.

            "You're damned right he will!" Seven exploded.  "He already has a draft written up to pull us off, and you've just given him the last excuse he needs.  Honestly, it's even worse than that.  You've compromised all six of us with this stunt, you stupid redneck son of a bitch!  You know we’re here to protect you, but who’s doing that job now, huh?  And I still don't understand why Alicia is here!"

            "Look, I'm sorry it came to this," Blake began, "but you guys have been lying to me for too long.  We need to talk about what is really going on."

            "Talk all you want," Five snapped, getting back up and moving back to his chair.  "Talk until you're hoarse.  As soon as One's back to himself, you won't remember a single thing!"

            "How the hell did you even know?" Seven wanted to know.

            "Never mind how," Blake ordered, glaring at Seven.  "Let's start with who.  Who are you guys, really?  Because you're not Adam!"

            "No shit!  I told you that from day one!"

            "Fine!  Then who are you?"

            "I'm Seven, this is Five, and that's One you just fucking drugged into unconsciousness!  Another thing we told you on day one."  He scoffed.  "These questions are just so worth asking.  You have no idea what you've done, do you, Blake?"

            "Alright, everyone stay calm," Alicia called.  "Seven, you keep saying we have no idea what we’ve done.  So why don't you tell us what we've done?"

            Seven's arms crossed over his chest.  "Classified."

            "Here we go with this bullshit again!" Blake exploded.  "See, this is precisely why we did what we did!"

            "Blake!"  Alicia was using her mom voice, and, surprisingly, it worked.  The room fell silent, and all eyes were on her.  "Alright, first of all, the threats need to end, especially the threats to wipe our minds.  You asked us to let One go, and we did that, out of a gesture of respect.  The only reason you don't have him right now is because it's safer for Blake to hold him."

            "And now he's going to let go of me, and I'm going over to my brothers."

            "Right.  See, that's respect."  Alicia waited politely as Blake released One, letting him move to join the other two.  They were quick to pull him into an anxious three way hug, glaring angrily at Blake’s group.  "It’s really sweet, how close you three are,” Alicia commented as they sat back down, two sets of green eyes and one pair of blue watching them with open hostility.  “Now, here is the problem.  Every relationship is based on some level of trust.  And right now, there isn't trust here because we've caught you in a number of lies,” she explained.  “There's also the very pressing question of our personal safety.  You claim to be here to protect Blake, but honestly, he seems primarily in danger from the three of you!"

            "We are here to protect Blake, but let's go back to the lies," Five said. 

            “Well, for starters, you said you were camping on that hill, and you’re clearly not.”

            “Yes we are!” Seven exclaimed.  “We’ve been sleeping in that tent damned near every night!”

            “Not possible.  One’s always wearing clean, well-pressed clothes,” Alicia pointed out.

            “Oh, he’s a stickler about that!” Five grumbled.  “Never a wrinkle or a hair out of place!”

            “But that can’t happen in a tent!  So where are you really staying?”

            “You’re quite observant, Ms. Keys,” One admitted, nodding respectfully to Alicia.  “The truth is, we are, in fact, camping on that hill.  But the tent isn’t our main base camp.  That’s hidden away.  Again, had you simply asked, we could have explained that!”

            "Yes, we told you some lies, out of necessity,” Five said.  “But I doubt it’s the camp that’s really bothering you.  I assume you're referring to the alteration of your memories concerning the last time someone roofied One?"  Seeing their agreement, Five went on.  "First of all, I should tell you that not all of that was intentional.  The way our integrated memory works, it's sometimes hard for us to really know who experienced what event, especially right after Unum facilitates our integration.  So when I spoke with you, Miley?  I really did believe that I was the one you'd dragged home with you."

            "We all did," Seven confessed.  "Five’s got kind of a history with the ladies, so I guess we all kind of assumed.  It wasn't until Miley was spooked and it was too late that we realized we'd made a mistake!"

            "Cheers, for what it's worth," One said.  His glowing eyes seemed sad as he looked at Miley.  "I still do appreciate that you seemed to honestly wish to help me, Miss Cyrus.  But it seems that I made a grave error in judgement by letting myself believe, even for an instant, that you could be trusted."

            "Now hold on just one damned minute," Blake protested.  "Miley's a good girl!  None of us wanted to drug you again, One, we just flat out did not know of any other way to make sure you couldn't mess with our minds!  No reason to be nasty and get her upset!"

            "She's not getting upset," Seven sighed, rolling his glowing eyes.  "No one is upset right now."

            "You know, I still don’t think it’s right that you manipulate people’s emotions, but some days, you're handy to have around," Blake said, seeing for himself that Miley was calm despite what had been said.

            "Getting back to the conversation?" Five urged.  "It was a very confusing time for us, that night, for reasons you apparently understand.  We've all got blanks in our memories here and there because of what happened to One.  But the end result is that we all were recalled to LB1, our primary base.  And that is where things got complicated.  When Unum took us back, he reintegrated us, forcefully realigned our memories to bring us back into full alignment, and thus, full power.  As I said, between that and the drugs, we lost a few things, so bear with me.  But I've come to understand that I spent that night here with Blake.  And apparently, Blake was there, right with me, that morning when I was recalled.  Bad enough that I’d apparently told him some classified information, but the recall was worse.  The method by which I was recalled was then compromised, and is highly classified."

            "That's right!" Blake recalled.  "You vanished into thin air, just a flash of light and gone, right in front of me.”

            "That's why your memory had to be altered, Blake.  And it would have ended right there, except Miley showed up, we mistakenly thought she'd taken me home instead of One, and it became quickly apparent that her memories needed altered as well."

            "Why?" Miley wanted to know.  "All I knew was that I'd taken One home and he'd disappeared on me!  I'm assuming that was this classified recall method, but I didn't see anything.  My back was to him when he disappeared."

            "You remembered it being me at your home, and you confronted Blake with the inconsistency," One explained.  “As we’ve admitted, we made a mistake about who was where.  In retrospect, it likely seems foolish because we believed Five to be in two places at once.  But our integrated memory is We, and it’s always difficult to ascertain who was experiencing what memory.  The mistake was anything but obvious to us because we’re accustomed to being in multiple places at once in our integrated We memory.  But it provided an opportunity.  By placing Five with Miss Cyrus, he obviously wasn’t with Blake.  You see, it’s not really possible to fabricate a memory.  If I tried, the memory would feel wrong, and you could see through it easily.  So what I do is simply alter certain details, changing the actual memory slightly so that it still feels real, or I substitute a previous memory, slightly altered to appear like the proper memory.  In Blake’s case, he quite simply knew too much and the entire memory had to be removed.  So I erased the memory of Five being at his home by bringing up an older memory of him getting drunk alone in his home.  Since the memory I chose was of him being upset over losing Seven, it worked well and meshed with the rest of his memories.  And for Miss Cyrus, I simply replaced myself in her memory with Five, leaving the rest largely intact.  That not only backed up Blake’s memories, but it actually reinforced the idea that Five had never been in Blake’s home.  But due to the nature of our integrated memory, I didn’t realize at first that a mistake had been made until Miss Cyrus produced evidence that made Blake doubt the new memory, resulting in a need to alter Blake’s memory twice.”

            "I could sense you that morning," Seven added.  "I knew you were upset, Miley, and I knew you'd tell Blake.  Then you made it even worse when you showed him your phone records to prove his memory had been altered.  You had a picture that proved it was One, not Five, at your house!”

            “I’m powerful, but I’m certainly not able to completely rewire someone’s mind!” One said.  “And no memory can ever be completely erased.  An inconsistency that great would eventually release what I’d suppressed, meaning Blake would remember what happened to Five.  So now we had to remove your memory, Miss Cyrus, and those mobile records as well!"

            "So why did you leave that picture on my phone?" Alicia asked.

            All three frowned.  "What?" they asked at once.

            Silence filled the room.

            “She e-mailed my photo to Alicia!” One exclaimed.  “That’s how they knew!”

            "Hardwire," Five growled.  "Seven, you called Hardwire to wipe the cell records.  He hardly could have missed that she’d emailed a picture that he was specifically looking for, now, could he?"

            "Dammit!" Seven swore.  "He's got a huge crush on Blake and he lives vicariously through me.  He's been trying to play matchmaker with the two of us since I first started talking to him!  But the guy has no concept of social graces, no experience at all with human relations, and he hates Unum.  He probably saw nothing wrong with what he was doing.  He set us up, brothers!  He must have intentionally left that picture on Alicia's phone and didn't warn us, just so something like this could happen and we'd have to bring Blake in!"

            That got the attention of Blake's group.  "Whoa, wait a minute!" Alicia exclaimed.

            "Yeah, what do you mean, bring Blake in?" Miley asked.

            "Precisely what he said!" One snapped.  "With this much compromised, we don't have a choice.  We'll have to bring all three of you in, turn you over to Unum."

            "But Alicia's got kids!" Miley pointed out.

            "They won't be harmed," Five sighed.  "The two of you will probably end up in a hospital somewhere with a car accident cover and your memories altered.  Blake's the problem.  We know he’s a subject of interest of at least alpha level, or we wouldn’t have been assigned to protect him.  But we don’t know why the interest is there.”

            “All I could find out was that you’ve been contacted, Blake,” Seven said.  “Has anyone strange talked to you these past few months?”

            “I just finished a tour!” Blake exclaimed.  “I’ve met all kinds of strange people.”

            “Then there’s no way to know,” Seven groaned.  “And depending on how much interest you really have and how serious the contact was, well, Unum’s going to have to make a decision on letting you go or bringing you in, putting you in containment."

            Both women immediately protested, but Blake had grown still.  It was slowly dawning on him that something was very, very wrong.  What was being said bothered him, but not nearly as much as it should have been.  His emotions seemed somehow dulled.  He looked up at Seven's glowing green eyes and understood.  Seven, of course.  He was using his powers to keep their emotions under control, keep them from panicking.  But Seven shouldn't be able to do that, should he?  Then again, how would Blake know?  He had no idea how much drugging One would affect Seven's empathic powers.

            Wait, that was the other problem.  One was there with the other two, and his eyes were glowing as well.  He appeared upset, but not at all drugged.

            One wasn't drugged.

            One was using his powers _he was controlling their minds!_

            "Calm down, Blake!” Seven exclaimed.  “Damn, Big Country, it's about time you woke up.  Gentlemen, pay up, told you he'd be the first!"

            Seven was very good at that empathy thing.  Blake immediately calmed.  He watched numbly as One and Five scowled and handed over money.  "You guys bet on which of us would realize One was loose first?" he asked.

            "It passes the time," Seven explained, shoving the bills into a leather wallet.  A tiger was on the wallet that looked familiar, but Blake didn't get a good look at it before Seven shoved it back into his pocket.

            "But how?" Miley asked.  "He had a dose and a half of Rohypnol!"

            "Five," Blake realized.  "When he was over here checking him, pretending like he had a headache to cover his eyes.  He used that tactile healing thing, cleared the drugs out of One's system.  And then they just let us talk until they found out what they wanted to know, which was how we figured them out.”  He shook his head.  “You guys set us up all along, didn't you?  We walked right into your trap!"

            "We had to know how you found out," Seven confessed.  “And we realized that the only way to do that was to make you think you’d won.”

            "I assure you, I did not enjoy my role of sacrificial lamb," One huffed.  "Especially when you handcuffed me!  Really, that was way out of line!  Cheers for that part of the plan, brothers!"

            “I didn’t hear a better idea.”  Seven cocked an eyebrow, eyeing One.  "You're really disappointed, brother!"

            “Aww, baby brother’s sweet on Miley!” Five singsonged.

            "Sod off!  I don’t fancy her.  It’s just that she was kind to me!" One grumbled, looking moodily away.  "How often is that the case?”  His shoulders slumped as he looked at Miley.  “When you pushed that wine at me, I knew you were going to drug me again.  But part of me had hoped that maybe you wouldn’t.  Maybe you’d just chat with me, and not betray me like that, hurt me again."

            "Oh, One!" Miley squeaked.  "I'm so sorry!"

            One waved off her concern.  "It was a rather brave thing to do, considering.  I'll credit you for that.  But we are trained operatives, and after the last time, I wouldn’t be so careless as to let myself be drugged unaware again.  We were busy today, dealing with threats.  But even when we are not directly present, Blake is under constant observation.  When your movements were reported to us, it wasn't difficult to guess that we were compromised, and plan to counteract it.  Tonight provided the perfect opportunity for you to try to neutralize me in the only way you knew would work.  So I let you drug me, to lure you into a sense of security we could then exploit."

            “It was that obvious?”  Miley’s voice was small.  “I was trying so hard to hide my thoughts!”

            “Successfully, actually,” One confessed.  “Reading minds isn’t as easy as you may think.  People tend to have a great deal of clutter in their minds, and unless I push, which would make my eyes glow, I mostly skim surface thoughts.  You seemed quite intent on a romantic, proper date.  But when you badgered me to drink the wine?”  He sighed.  “I knew.  So I contacted my brothers before the drug affected me, let them know you’d taken the bait, and allowed myself to be compromised.  By letting you trap me, we let you trap yourselves.”

            "After that, it was just a matter of getting the three of you together," Seven explained, giving One’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.  "And you did that yourselves.  The only thing we didn’t expect was that you’d come back here."

            “That’s why we had to step out into the road,” Five concluded.  “We were just about to pass each other.”

            "That's some fast thinking," Alicia admitted.  "You three are good at your job."

            "Well, now we know how it was done," Five said, addressing the other two.  "Doesn't seem like Terra's involved.  Good to know.  But where do we go from here?"

            "Depends entirely on Blake's status," One said with a sigh.  "And after tonight, it’s so much worse!”

            “Why?” Blake wanted to know.

            “Because you’ve already had your memories rewritten twice,” One explained.  “A second rewrite is very difficult, and the same section of memory can’t be rewritten a third time without significant risk of damage.  So you are going to remember this, Blake, and there’s bugger all we can do about it!”

            “Which is precisely why we went to the lengths we did, to avoid precisely this situation!” Five exclaimed.  “And it’s why we say you have no idea what you’ve done.  One can do a second wipe on Miley, and an initial on Alicia, but we can’t risk you, Blake!  That means you’re compromised.  You know too much, there’s no way to correct it, and now this has to go to Unum.”

            “Or, I could just keep my mouth shut?” Blake suggested.

            “We can all keep quiet!” Alicia urged.  “If it’s this important, we won’t tell anyone!”

            “Oh.  Really?”  Seven’s voice was dripping with disbelief.  “Forget everything that we can do to your minds and just consider the simple human element here.  Breaker kidnapped me on live TV and tortured me for seven days, just to turn me into a living weapon!  That’s the kind of people we’re dealing with.  Do you really think that they’d hesitate to go after you, or your families?”

            Alicia sucked in her breath and raised a hand to her mouth.  “Take it away from me,” she said quickly.  “One, you have my permission to erase my memories.  But I still want to know what’s going to happen to Blake?”

            “We can certainly make a strong case with Hardwire's interference,” Five said.  “But that will, of course, make things difficult for Hardwire."

            "He should have thought of that before he interfered," Seven growled.  "He compromised an alpha level project just to force a confrontation between Blake and Unum!  I swear he acts like a five year old sometimes, and I'm sure it's my fault.  I should have suspected something like this after the last conversation we had on LB1, but my head was so fucked up at the time...!"  He waved a hand.  "Doesn't matter.  Unum will know what to do."

            "What's going to happen to Blake?  Someone tell me!" Miley insisted.

            "Heaven and hell," Blake muttered.

            Everyone turned to him, confused.  "What?" Blake asked.  "You guys won, that's for damned sure!  I got completely outfoxed, and I can't even care about it because you won't let me.  And it’s not like I can fight you guys!  That means there’s no point in putting up a struggle.  So honestly, I'm not all that worried about what you've got planned for me.  But there's something else, something important, that I'm trying to remember.  Something about heaven and hell, something, a girl, a name…"  He snapped his fingers, his blue eyes bright as he looked at Five.  "Nevaeh!  Your name is Nevaeh!"

            Blake had no idea what to expect when he said the magic word.  But Five simply froze.  It was the other two who cried out, clutched at their heads, and collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

            And just like that, he could think, and feel, again.

            Chaos, Miley and Alicia screaming, pulling on Blake, yelling that they needed to get out while they had the chance.  But Blake's emotions were back, and all he could see was Adam as he lay, moaning, on the floor.  "Adam!" Blake yelled out, alarmed.

            "Come _on,_ Blake!"

            "Blake, please, we need to run!"

            "Blake?"  It was Five.  He still hadn't moved, but his eyes were locked on Blake.  They were full of confusion, and his expression was dazed.  He looked down at his brothers, who were still moaning softly as they pulled themselves up.  He frowned, troubled blue eyes moving back to Blake as the two women redoubled their efforts, managing to drag Blake up and get him started out the door.

            Blake took one last look back at Adam, saw his eyes start to glow an ominous green, and started running, bringing the ladies with him.  The three dove once more into Blake's truck.

            But just as he was shoving the key into the ignition, the girls started screaming again.  Blake looked up, seeing Five just before his door was opened and he was jerked out of the truck.  Blake gave a roar, lunging at Five as he dragged a terrified Alicia and Miley out as well.  "Leave them alone, you son of a bitch!  You wanted me?  Here I am!"

            "Calm down, dammit, I gotta concentrate!"  Five's eyes were blazing with green light.  He reached down, grabbed the bottom of Blake's truck, and heaved.  The truck flipped over, going onto its side.  Five gave it a kick and, with a screech of metal, it went sliding across the garage, hitting the wall with a crash.  Loud cursing began from the other side of the wall.

            "Come on!" Five called, starting for the front door of the garage.  "That's only going to slow them down for a moment.  Run, you gotta get to the camp!"

            Blake blinked.  "Nevaeh?  You're helping us?"

            "Of course I’m fucking helping you!  I assume that's why you pulled me out, isn't it?  Now _run!_ "


	18. Nevaeh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake has pulled Five out of his integrated mind, but how long can he stay out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made a little edit in the previous chapter that hopefully clarifies what Blake actually did (thank you for bringing that to my attention, Jackatlas1996). Kicking myself for that one and apologies for any confusion it caused. Fun doesn't do deux ex machina, for the record. I like to flatter myself that I build believable worlds with explanations for everything, so if something doesn't make sense or seems contrived, please do give a shout-out!

            Blake raced up the hill towards the tent, hands clutching tightly to the hands of Miley and Alicia.  Behind him, crashes, shouts, and curses marked the continuing struggle behind them as Nevaeh worked to delay the progress of his brothers.  But even as they ran, Blake had no idea what they would do when they reached their destination. 

            "I thought there wasn't anything there but a beanbag and blankets?" Miley moaned, echoing Blake's thoughts.  "What are we going to do in that tent?"

            "No idea, but we got no other options!" Blake panted.

            "Yes we do!" Miley insisted.  "If saying Nevaeh’s name brought him out of that integration thing and made him help us, why doesn't he just say the names of the other two?"

            "Trust Nevaeh," Alicia encouraged.  "We have to trust him now, because we’re in way over our heads and we have no other options!”

            “I keep waiting for One to shut my brain off,” Miley moaned.  “I don’t understand why that hasn’t happened yet?”

            “I think they’re primarily focused on Nevaeh right now,” Blake replied.  “Remember how he said he had to concentrate?  He’s out, and they need him back, so until that happens, they’re not thinking about us.  But I don’t get why he sent us up here.”

            “They said their real base camp was hidden?” Alicia said.  “I’m thinking we’re about to find out where!  Now come on, hurry!"

            The three kept running, and a moment later, Nevaeh went racing past them, dropping to his knees just behind the tent and yelling at them to hurry.  Blake ran up, bending over with his hands on his knees as he tried to get his breath back.  "So it's this door?" he asked, finally noticing the old, broken door lying on the ground behind the tent.  It had no hinges and no knob.  It simply lay on the ground, attached to nothing.  "I thought that was trash!  But it's one of those Safe classifications, right?  Magic door?"

            Nevaeh's eyes were still glowing, but they blinked at Blake in confusion.  "What?  No, there's nothing special about the door!"

            "Oh."  Blake felt stupid.

            "It's the doorknob that's Safe classified, and it's not magic," Nevaeh explained, producing a doorknob from the pocket of his jacket.  "There's no such thing as magic!"

            "Right."

            Nevaeh fit the end of the doorknob into the hole on the door.  He pushed down, waited a moment, and then turned the knob, opening the door.  And there, leading into the ground, was a set of stairs.  "Ladies first," he called.  "And hurry.  I slowed them down by throwing them into a bathroom and barricading them inside, but it won’t hold them for long!  Sorry about the damage, Blake."

            "Not worrying about it now!"

            "Can they follow us?" Miley asked.

            "Yes, so please hurry!  I’ll lock the door to slow them down, but it won’t keep them out forever."

            All four darted down the stairs.  Nevaeh paused long enough to pull the door closed and lock it, leaving them all in a large, dimly lit entranceway.  Then he pushed past them, excusing himself to hold his tracer bracelet against the wall.  "Recognize Shard Five!" he called into the darkness.

            "Recognized – Shard Five.  Welcome home."

            The computerized female voice sounded as the lights abruptly went on.  They were standing at the entrance of what was obviously some sort of start of the art computerized facility, somehow buried beneath a cast-off door on an overgrown hill near Blake's house.  Banks of computers and monitors whirred to life, air processors hummed, and indicator lights of various colors blinked on.  Alicia was staring in alarm at a wall covered with an assortment of bladed weapons, everything from swords and knives to shuriken and tiny daggers small enough to conceal in a clenched fist.  Miley was looking about in a daze, wide-eyed and open mouthed.  “How did this get here?” she exclaimed.  “How did something like this get built in a hillside across from Blake’s house and Blake knew nothing about it?”

            “It didn’t.  It’s not actually at the physical location we accessed.  It’s all built inside of a pocket dimension that the doorknob can access,” Nevaeh called, moving to one of the computers.  “The whole thing is a part of LB1, our main base, and remotely connected.  That’s what all these computers are linked to.  Obviously, this is highly classified.  Now you get why we didn’t just invite you over.”

            “That’s…  This is incredible!” Miley exclaimed.  “It’s like a portable base!”

            “That’s precisely what it is.  But we can’t fully monitor Blake from a pocket dimension.  That’s why we were sleeping in the tent, where we could be roused by our back-up in case of trouble.  So as you can see, we didn’t lie.”

            Blake's eyes were fixed on Nevaeh.  "Hey, buddy?" he asked, moving closer as the shorter man typed frantically at a keyboard.  "Why are you fighting the other two?  Why not just say their names and bring them out the way I did you?"

            "I would, if I knew them!" he retorted.  "I don't know their names, just my own.  When I tell you that you pulled me out and you’re only talking with me, I mean I’m running as Matt Mellon here.  I’m still integrated, but my integrated consciousness is being shunted aside in favor of my human side.  That’s what my name does, why it’s so powerful.  But frankly, it’s killing me!  We still have the benefits of our integration, but they can’t feel my mind and I can’t feel theirs.  I feel alone, they feel like I’m not there anymore, and you have no idea how much that hurts all three of us!  Do you think I like fighting my brothers, Blake?  I’d rather cut my own arm off then go against them!  If we were bleeding out, they might be less desperate right now.  We can’t stand to be apart!  I can’t stay out for much longer, and it’s all I can do right now to keep them from dragging me back in!”

            Nevaeh's face was pale, shining with sweat, and the sharpness of his tone as he spoke only further displayed the immense amount of stress he seemed to be under.  Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be costing him greatly.  Blake immediately backed off, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.  “Sorry.”

            “It’s ok.  I just need to get Hardwire to…  Oh shit, it’s Murray,” Nevaeh groaned, looking at the monitor.  “Damn that nosey bitch!  Ok, this is going to cost me more than I thought.”  He paused, looking at Blake.  “Blake, I need you to be very honest with me right now.  Do you love Seven?”

            “Yes.”  Blake never hesitated.

            “The reason he’s so distant now is because he believes he loves Unum when he’s in full alignment with his integration,” Nevaeh explained, going back to work on the computer.  “And Unum wants to marry him!  I think the only reason he hasn’t already proposed is because we had so much going on while we were on LB1, and then we had to get back here and take care of your memories.  But at any time, Unum could propose, and Seven is going to be inclined to say yes!”  He turned, his glowing eyes distressed as he looked at Blake.  “Blake, I’m sorry that I can’t keep from having to bring you in, but there is one thing I can do for you.”

            “And what’s that?”

            Nevaeh took Blake’s shoulders.  “I can give you a chance,” he declared.  “One chance to reach Seven, even at full integration.  If you can do that, maybe he can stand against Unum because I know that when Seven’s not in full alignment, he doesn’t want to marry him.  He just needs a reason to say no.  You’re the only one who can give him that!  Listen, Murray will only let Hardwire give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll pay for that next time I’m back on base.  It’s the best I can do.  The base will go on lockdown during that time, to keep us in and keep everyone safe.  Then we’ll automatically integrate for a while, which will take us out of commission and give you ladies time to run.  You’re low value targets provided you keep your heads down, and I’ll work with Hardwire to try to keep you off the radar when we get back with Blake.  Everyone’s going to be focused on him anyway, so I should be able to do that for you.”

            “Thank you,” the ladies voiced, looking uneasy.

            “Blake, once we’re integrating, you need to see the girls to safety.  Then come back and wait.  It’s too risky for you to go far, so just wait until we come out, and we’ll work on a plan for what to do after we get you to LB1, ok?  But you should know, my name won’t work again for a while.  This is fucking exhausting doing this much, and I’ll need time to recharge.  There’s not much left of Dr. Matt Mellon anymore, buddy.  But Seven is only a year old, and I know for a fact that Adam Levine is still strong.  So get through to Seven, find a way to reach Adam, and maybe, between the two of you, you can find a way to help us all.”

            “Thanks.”  Blake’s head was spinning.  “Fifteen minutes to reach him?”

            “Best I can do.”  Nevaeh finished with his program and turned to enfold Blake in a massive bear hug.  “I’m sorry, man.  This is all I can do for you, but I think it’s what you want the most.  One chance.”

            Blake returned the hug.  “Thanks, Nevaeh.  You’re a good friend.”

            “I am when I’m me.  But that’s rare anymore.”  Nevaeh’s voice was husky as he released Blake and started down the hall.  “C’mon.  You still got those cuffs?  You may need ‘em.”

            Blake blushed as he followed with the girls.  “Adam gave them to me as a gag gift on my birthday,” he explained.  “Said it was about the only way I’d get laid at my age.”

            Miley giggled, and Alicia rolled her eyes.

            “Joke’s on him, then,” Five called.  “When they get in here, Hardwire will set up a surprise that none of us is going to like, but that’s how you’ll get your chance.  I’ll hold One while you grab Seven, get him away.  He’ll fight you, buddy, so you may need those cuffs.”

            “If I cuff him and drag him off, he’ll be too pissed off to listen to me!”

            “Your call, man, but he’s going to be pissed off no matter what.  You got fifteen minutes, and one chance.  Good luck.”

            “Thanks.  No pressure.”  Blake’s head was spinning.  Fifteen minutes to deal with Adam at his pissed off worst.  Fifteen minutes to get through Shard’s mind control and convince him not to agree to the marriage.  What the hell could he say in that short period of time?

            Meanwhile, Nevaeh had led them into some sort of training arena.  The room was huge and clearly well used.  Various bits of training equipment, obstacles, and barriers were scattered around, all bearing signs of wear.  Blake pulled Miley and Alicia back behind one of the barriers where Nevaeh directed.  “They’ll be here any minute,” Nevaeh said.  “I’ll bring them in, and then you’ll get your chance, Blake.”

            “When?”

            “Trust me, you’ll know.  It’ll be obvious when we become vulnerable.”

            “Nevaeh, you’re not going to hurt yourself, are you?” Alicia asked, concerned.

            “Oh, it’ll hurt alright, but we’ll be fine once we integrate.  You just worry about yourselves.  I’ll probably need your help with One.”

            “I’ll help,” Miley volunteered.

            “Me too,” Alicia called.

            “Thanks.  I’ll be back.”  He turned and ran back out.

            “What’s he going to do?” Miley worried.  “I don’t understand why One doesn’t just brain zap him right back!”

            “He’s obviously fighting,” Alicia guessed.  “That’s probably why his eyes are still glowing.  If he works with One, and they’re in each other’s heads all the time, no one would know better than he would how to fight back!”

            “He’s got Adam to worry about, too,” Blake reminded.  “Don’t ever underestimate the ability to manipulate emotions!  Nevaeh’s definitely under strain, fighting them both, and we got no way to know how long he can hold out.  Listen, if things go bad, you girls need to run.  I’m the one they want anyway.  Worst comes to worst, I’ll do my best to hold ‘em back, give you girls a fighting chance!”

            “Don’t be stupid!” Miley exclaimed.  “They’re not going to let any of us just walk out of here, not after everything we found out tonight!  Stop trying to be heroic and self-sacrificing, Blake, we’re all equally screwed.”

            “Why did they tell us so much?” Alicia wanted to know.

            “No idea,” Blake confessed.  “For some reason or another, none of ‘em seem to be able to keep from telling me stuff I got no business knowing.  It’s the reason for this whole mess in the first place!  We know way too much now, and if they can only wipe memories twice, well, I gotta do as much as I can to make sure you girls don’t remember again, especially Miley.”

            “What is going to happen to you, Blake?” Miley cried.

            “Guess I’ll find out.”

            "Recognized – Shard One and Shard Seven.  Welcome home."

            “They’re here,” Alicia whispered.  She reached for the hands of the other two and squeezed them tight.  “Whatever happens, I want you both to know that I’m glad to know you both.  You’re good people.”

            “I’m just sorry either of you got dragged into this,” Blake grumbled.  “I wish I knew what was so damned important!  For God’s sake, why me?  If I knew that, I’d try to make some kind of bargain, do something, let ‘em have whatever they want in exchange for you two.  This sitting here on my ass waiting thing is driving me nuts!”

            “You’re a good man, Blake,” Miley whispered.  “And Alicia, I’m so sorry!  I love you both!”

            Blake pulled the two women protectively into his arms and waited, trying to be ready for anything.

            From out in the hall, the three could hear loud arguing coming closer.

            “What the fuck are you doing, brother?  You wrecked Blake’s truck to barricade the door into the garage!  And why’d you lock us in the bathroom?  We had to break a window and climb out!  What are you trying to accomplish?”

            “Waking your sorry ass up, Seven!” Nevaeh yelled back.  “Waking both of you up!  We’ve been blindly following orders for way too long.  Just because Unum is the strongest doesn’t mean he’s right!”

            “Five, why do you continue to resist?  I can’t abide you being so far away!  Just come back!”

            “I told you, One, I can’t, not just yet!  I need to try to help Blake first.”

            “They know entirely too much to just trust them to keep quiet,” One argued.  His voice sounded ragged, almost with a note of panic.  “If Terra suspects they know something, they’ll come after them, and we can hardly guard all three!  You’ve put two uninvolved civilians and their families in danger, brother.  Is that what you want?”

            “What the fuck do you think Unum’s going to do if we bring them in?  He’s going to erase the memories of the women, but what about Blake?”

            “Unum is powerful!” One argued.  “If anyone can do a third wipe without causing damage…”

            “No one can do a third wipe without causing damage!  That’s the problem!”

            “Five, Unum can…”

            “Seven, I swear, if you tell me one more time how Unum can solve all of our problems, I will punch you in the face!”

            “Unum has always taken care of us, brother.”

            “No, brother, he has not.  You just don’t remember.  Now come on, they’re in here.”

            The door opened, and the brothers stepped cautiously into the room, closing the door behind them.  Seven immediately pointed at the obstacle where the three were hiding.  “I can sense you back there,” he called.  “I know you’re scared to death, but we’re not going to hurt you.  Come on out.”

            “We’re good where we are, thanks!” Blake called cheerfully.

            “Oh my giddy aunt!” One groaned.  “Five won’t come back to us until we resolve this issue, so come out before I make you!  Mutual respect, remember?”

            “That wasn’t very respectful, One!” Alicia yelled.

            “Neither was drugging and handcuffing me, Ms. Keys.”

            “We didn’t have a choice!” Miley defended.

            “We’ve been over this,” One sighed.  “Please do come out?”

            “Yeah, seriously!” Seven agreed.  “I’m sorry, but we need our brother back, and if you don’t come out, I’ll come back there and drag you out myself!”

            “Come and try it, you brainwashed bastard!” Blake taunted.  “Watch me lay your scrawny ass out!”

            “Blake, you stupid son of a bitch!”

            “Alright, I’ve had quite enough of this.  I…  Oi!  Five, what are you on about, grabbing me?  Put me down!”

            “Brothers?” Nevaeh said.  “I want you to know, I’m very, very sorry about this.”

            “Five?” One asked, sounding wary.  “What have you…?”

            The lights in the room dimmed, and then everything turned green.  As one, all three of the brothers screamed.

            “Containment field activated,” the computer voice announced.  “Lockdown initiated.  Time to release, fifteen minutes.”

            “Containment field?”  Alicia rose and eyed Nevaeh.  He’d pulled One into his arms and was holding him as they lay on the floor, Seven clinging to them both.  “Blake, did he just shut all three of them down?”

            “He did!” Miley squeaked.  She’d risen and was peeking around the obstacle, wide-eyed.  “They’re all just kind of clinging to each other out there, laying on the floor.  Blake, he shut them down!”

            “Go, Blake!” Alicia urged.  “Help Adam!”

            “I’ll try,” Blake said.  His eyes were fierce.  “By God, I’m going to try!”


	19. Fifteen Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nevaeh's sacrifice has granted Blake fifteen minutes to try to reach Adam. Will it be enough?

            True to his word, Nevaeh held tightly to One.  Adam clung to them both, forcing Blake and the girls to waste time prying him loose.  Adam fought like a tiger, screaming and cursing at them while desperately trying to get back to his brothers.  But Blake was just as determined.  Brushing off the girls’ offer to help, Blake wrapped Adam in a reverse bear hug and started away with him.  He’d always been stronger than Adam.  Now, separated by the field from Five, Adam was noticeably weaker.  It wasn’t difficult to carry him away.  Despite the fact that it made this slightly easier, it still hurt Blake a bit.  It was another reminder of how drastically different Adam was now.

            Behind him, he could hear One yell once to bring his brother back and the girls trying to calm him.  Oddly enough, One immediately went quiet.  But then again, his emotions were numbed down without Adam.  Blake didn’t hear anything from Nevaeh, and that worried him a little.  But one thing at a time.

            “Let go of me, Blake!” Adam was yelling, clearly very emotional.  “Let me go back to my brothers!”

            Blake held on, wincing as Adam’s damned motorcycle boots battered his shins.  He was going to be black and blue.  “Hey, buddy, how about we let the girls talk to your brothers, and you and I have a chat of our own?”

            “Fuck you!  I’m not going anywhere with you!”

            “You don’t have a choice in this one, pal.”

            “What the hell do you want from me?”

            “The truth,” Blake replied.  “At long last, the truth!”  He reached another large obstacle that provided some privacy and moved behind it.  He considered the handcuffs as Adam continued to kick and struggle, but decided against it.  Adam was upset enough.  If he was going to have any chance at reaching him, Blake realized, he’d have to manage without making things worse.  He sat down, dragging Adam into his lap, and wrapped his arms and legs around him to hold him still.  “Ok.  Now we’ll talk.”

            Adam squirmed.  “I have nothing to say to you.  You took me away from my brothers!  You’ve left me all alone!”

            “You’re not alone.  I’m right here!”

            “I don’t _want_ you, Blake!  I want my brothers!”  He peered anxiously around, confusion evident on his face.  “Why can’t I feel them?  Where did they go?”

            Of course.  Cut off from One, Adam was having trouble thinking straight.  He was worse now than Five was the night of the bar fight.  “They’re fine, buddy,” he assured.

            “Where are they?  Where?”  He was struggling again.  “Let go of me!”

            “Not a chance.”  Blake held on stubbornly as a few precious minutes went by.  But Adam seemed to run out of energy quickly, and he finally stopped struggling.  For a moment, he rested his head against Blake’s shoulder, and it was like it was before, just him and Adam.  He was here, Adam was in his arms again, and it felt so good, so incredibly _right_ that Blake didn’t want to let go.  He couldn’t keep from kissing Adam just behind his ear, even though Adam twisted away and started trying again to squirm free. 

            “Don’t kiss me!” Adam pleaded.  “I don’t belong with you.  I’m with Unum now!”

            “Adam, do you remember back in Oklahoma, in the field?  What you told me?”

            “That’s not my name!”

            “Do you remember it or not?”

            “Of course I fucking remember it!”

            “You told me then that you loved me.  Did you lie?”

            “No, but I’m not him anymore, Blake!”

            Blake ground his teeth.  “Tell me your name.”

            “It’s Seven!”

            “Your other name,” Blake insisted.  “The name you chose when you were integrated!  Let me pull you out of this spell or subconscious suggestion or whatever it is that’s on your mind, and then you tell me you don’t belong with me, and you’re really ok with marrying Unum!”

            Adam looked sharply at him.  Then he shuddered.  “I…  I can’t!”

            “Why not?” Blake challenged.  “Because you know I’m right?”

            “Because I don’t know it!” Adam exclaimed.  “I chose my name when I was integrated, but I don’t remember it.  I don’t remember most of my initial integration.  I’m sorry!”  He looked around, blinking in confusion.  “Where are they?  Where are my brothers?”

            Blake gaped at him.  “Focus, buddy!  You don’t know the name you chose for yourself?  You don’t even have a clue?  There’s gotta be something that can help you remember!”

            “I can’t even think straight right now, Blake!  Let me integrate with my brothers!”

            “Not a chance, buddy.  Right now, I need you and you alone.”

            Adam shuddered.  “I hate being alone.  I can’t stand it!”

            “I am right here with you!” Blake insisted, tightening his arms around Adam.  “Look, you chose your name when you were integrated, right?  So tell me everything you remember about the day they integrated you.  There’s got to be a clue!”

            “I don’t want to remember,” Adam said sulkily.

            “Tough.  I know it won’t be easy, but you’ve got to remember, and it’s gotta be quick!”

            “What the fuck for?”

            “Because this isn’t you!” Blake exploded.  “You’re not a killer, you’re not…”

            “I’m not Adam Levine!  Why can’t you understand that?”

            “Fine!  Then let’s go back to the time when you stopped being him.”

            Adam paled.  He looked pleadingly at Blake.  “I don’t want to do this, ok?  Please don’t make me!”

            Blake didn’t know how he could make Adam do anything, but Adam was clearly confused.  If that worked in his favor, right now Blake was willing to take all the help he could get.  “When this green light goes away, you’ll go back to what you were, right?  Then I’m sorry.  I have to do this.”

            Adam’s shoulders slumped in defeat.  It made Blake’s heart ache, but he reminded himself that he had only one chance, and very limited time.  Blake held Adam close, trying to comfort him as he thought about where to start.  “Breaker tortured you for seven days?” he asked quietly.  “The whole time you were gone?”

            Adam nodded.  “Yeah.”

            “No wonder you’re fucked in the head.”

            That earned Blake a small smile.  “Jackass.”

            “Dickhead.  Ok, when you came back, after Breaker took you?  Unum sent a bodyguard with orders to kill you if you talked.  What was that all about?”

            “They had to bring me in.”  Adam’s voice was monotone, his eyes fixed on nothing.  “Breaker exposed me, and sooner or later, someone was going to come for me.  Unum took a risk and personally led the team that got me out.  I’m sure he had Five somewhere close, but it was still a risky thing to do, being away from LB1 for that long.”

            “Because his body falls apart, right?  So why’d he do it?”

            “Because Breaker had the physical aspect as well as telepathy.  He’s like One and Five combined.  Unum’s the same way.”  He looked thoughtful.  “I think maybe that’s why he was initially attracted to me, Unum, I mean.  I had the only aspect he was missing.  It’s also why he’s so possessive and jealous, because I complete him.  Not as well as I do my brothers, obviously, but you get the idea.”

            “I get the idea that you’re defending him for bad behavior again.  Possessiveness and jealousy really aren’t indicators of a good healthy relationship, buddy.”

            Adam frowned.  “Unum cares, Blake.  He loves me like no one else ever did.”

            “Even me?”

            “Especially you!” Adam was trying to get his arms free.  “Let me go!”

            Blake took a chance and let Adam’s arms and legs go, quickly wrapping his own arms tightly around Adam’s waist and pulling him back into his lap as the smaller man tried to crawl away.  “Ok, I let you go, but you’re staying with me, so stop or I’m wrapping you back up again.”

            “Damn you, Shelton!”  Adam sulked, but he’d stopped trying to get away.

            “Tell me why you say that.  Why especially me?”

            “Because you wouldn’t even admit to yourself that you loved me until it was too late.  Unum was never like that.  He was open, honest with me right from the start.”

            “Not hard to do when you know the guy you’re talking to can read your emotions,” Blake retorted, stung.  “But we’re off subject here.  I need you to focus, ok?”

            “Ok.”

            “Go back to when Unum the Magnificent got you away from Breaker.  How’d that happen?”

            “They had a hell of a battle, Blake.  Unum’s team fought it out with Breaker’s men, and Unum came in after me alone.”

            “If he had a team, why did he come in alone?”

            Adam shuddered.  “You have no idea how powerful they are, Blake!  You’ve seen what One and Five can do?  One says Unum is way more powerful than he is, and Five says the same thing!”

            Blake blinked in surprise.  “That scrawny runt is stronger than Five?”

            “I dunno, I’ve never seen them arm wrestle?”

            Blake rolled his eyes.  Confused Adam was worse than drunk Adam.  “Ok, so Breaker’s strong, too?  Five said he was stronger than Breaker was.”

            “Breaker’s not quite up to Unum’s level, but I can tell you from personal experience that he’s strong, both physically and as a telepath.”  Adam was shaking again.  “I couldn’t keep much from him, Blake.  It was like he just drilled a hole into my head and all my private thoughts came tumbling out.  The only things I could shield were things that triggered a strong emotional response, because I’m an empath.  But if Unum brought anyone with him, they’d be more in the way than helpful.  That’s why he went in alone after me.”

            Blake kissed his neck.  “It’s ok, you’re safe now.  Tell me what happened?”

            Adam played a bit with his fingers, stimming them much like an autistic child.  “Breaker was carrying me down to the garage, trying to make a break for it,” he said.  “I remember being hopeful when I heard the battle, thinking I’d be rescued.  But then Breaker picked me up and started running with me, and no one was around to stop him.”  He shuddered.  “I was just so trapped, Blake!  I was tied up and over his shoulder just like before, when he first took me, and he was carrying me away again and there was nothing, nothing I could do!”  He was shaking now, clinging to Blake’s arms, and a tremor had crept into his voice.  “I remember we were at the last door when Unum found us.  If Breaker had taken me through that door, I never would have gotten away from him.  But Unum just jerked it out of his hand and slammed it shut.  And he did it from about twenty feet away.”

            “More mind stuff?”

            “Yeah.  We can all do that, but he’s way better at it.”

            Blake’s eyes went wide.  “Seriously?  You can all do it?”

            Adam nodded.  “Shard enhances the power of the mind, so to some degree we’re all capable of spoonbending.”

            “Spoonbending.”  Blake shook his head.  “Sorry, go on.”

            “Anyway, that’s how Unum got Breaker’s attention.  He put me down and moved towards Unum, and they started talking.  I don’t remember much,” he confessed.  “I was in pretty bad shape then, blood loss and shock and just exhaustion from what he’d put me through.  I’d learned not to pass out, because any time I did, I’d wake up with him on top of me.  But I couldn’t help it then.  I couldn’t take anymore, Blake.  I honestly just wanted to die.  Why didn’t you help me?  I waited for you, but you never came!”

            It didn’t matter that Adam was confused.  The accusation felt like a knife going into Blake.  “Oh baby,” Blake soothed.  “I did everything I could, offered everything I had to get you back.  But I didn’t know where you were!”  He planted some frantic kisses on Adam’s neck, fighting back his tears.  “No one knew where you were, honey.  Even with all his resources it still took Unum a week to find you.  I didn’t even know where to look!”

            Adam curled into a ball in Blake’s arms, pulling his legs to his chest and ducking his head.  “I never realized how much someone can make you hurt, make you suffer.  Seven days, torturing me, and able to read my mind and know exactly what to do to make it worse?  It was horrible, and he was so sure he was going to break me that he branded my number into my arm that first night.  But he didn’t, Blake.  He never broke me.”

            Blake stared at him.  “You went through seven days of torture and didn’t break?”

            “Fuck him,” Adam snarled.  “I decided when he took me away that I’d die before I let him break me.  And I was ready to do that!  If Breaker won that fight and took me away again, I would have just let myself die, Blake.”

            “Baby, don’t you ever think that way!” Blake exclaimed.  He was shocked at how close he’d come to losing Adam forever.  “We need to talk about this, but right now I need you to focus.  Go back to the fight, alright?”

            “I don’t remember much of the actual fight.  I remember Unum and Breaker squaring off, remember feeling their powers surge, and then I passed out.  And when I woke up again, I was untied, Unum was carrying me out, the base was on fire, and it was over.”

            Blake was confused.  “Wait a minute.  I thought you guys had to be broken completely for that integration thing to happen?  If Breaker never broke you…?”

            “I don’t know,” Adam confessed.  “I know Unum wanted to bring me in right away, but I begged him to let me go to that last show, let me see you one more time.  Unum tried to make it happen, but there was something wrong, someone saying no.  Unum spent a lot of time on the phone, and I could sense that the answer was going to be no.  But then, suddenly it was yes, and they patched me up and let me go to the show.  I never did find out why.”

            “Apparently, One did something,” Blake recalled.  “At least that’s what I was told.”

            “I never knew that.  I’ll have to ask him.”  Adam’s eyes were troubled.  “What you said to me when I came back to the studio that night?  You tore me apart, Blake!  I knew I couldn’t stay with you, that I had to let them take me away again.  I knew I’d probably never see you again, and if you’d been the same as you were in Oklahoma, the way I’d expected you to be, I was ok with that as long as I had a chance to say goodbye.  But you’d finally stopped denying your feelings.  You meant every word, didn’t you?”

            Blake took his hand.  “I still do.”

            Adam pulled his hand away.  “Dammit, Blake, don’t do this to me!  I’m confused enough.  Don’t confuse me more!”

            “Look at me.”  He took Adam’s chin and waited until their eyes met.  “Do you love Unum?”

            “When I’m fully integrated I do!”

            “And the rest of the time?”

            Adam didn’t answer, his hazel eyes shifting away.  Blake tightened his grip and Adam looked at him again.  “You told me, back in Oklahoma, that you loved me.  So how do you feel now?  Do you love me now, or not?”

            Adam closed his eyes and shook.  When he spoke, his voice was a whisper.  “I never stopped loving you!  That’s why Breaker couldn’t break me, Blake.  Because every time I came close to breaking, I thought of you.  It was something I could tie to emotion, my strongest emotional response, so I could shield it.  Breaker couldn’t read it, and he couldn’t take it from me.  And that’s what kept me strong.  I did it for you, Blake!  He couldn’t break me because of you!”

            Blake sucked in his breath, his hand moving from Adam’s chin to the back of his head.  “Then what the fuck are you doing with Unum?  If you love me, then stay here, with me!”  Blake leaned forward, wanting to kiss Adam.

            But Adam pushed him away.  “I can’t!  I’m integrated!  Blake, they took me to LB1, and they integrated me even though I hadn’t broken.  I had to let them take me back, but I knew then that you loved me, that you wanted to be with me.  I wasn’t willing to just let them have me anymore, and I fought it.  I think that’s why I keep falling out of alignment, because I’m still in love with you and that keeps pulling me out.  But somehow, they integrated me anyway, and the part of me that’s integrated loves Unum, and that’s the strongest part of me!  Every day, it gets stronger.  Blake, the part of me that loves you is fading away, vanishing a little more every day.  Before long, there won’t be anything left of it, and then I won’t…”

            Blake clamped a hand over Adam’s mouth.  “Stop.”  He took his hand away, and Adam stayed quiet, looking warily at Blake.  “Ok, this integration thing?  It doesn’t make any sense!” Blake exclaimed.  “Five said that’s why they had to break people to integrate them, because if they fought, they’d get so brain damaged they’d either die or become vegetables.  So I don’t understand how they did it to you.”

            Adam shook his head.  “All I can remember is green light.”

            “Green light?  Like your eyes?”

            “Like this here now!” Adam said, indicating the room. 

            “Ok, what is this?  Some kind of force field, blocking your access to your powers?”

            “This blocks what's inside of me.  I can’t affect anything, can’t feel anything from my brothers.  I can feel you, because you’re holding me, and maybe I can let you sense me through that tactile contact.  But I can’t affect you, and I’m cut off from everything else!”

            “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Blake declared.  “What’s inside of you?”

            “All I know is what Unum told me, back when he first contacted me for Shard.  The story is that something came to Earth thousands of years ago.  They don’t know what it was, an alien, an angel, some being from another dimension, who knows.  But it altered the genetic code of certain humans.  The going theory is that it was trying to reproduce itself, to alter humans into creatures like it was.  But it didn’t work.  And then it died, and all that was left of it were the shards.  They’re like bits of its skeleton, I guess, or its brain.  I don’t know.  Three shards, one for each power.  We’re able to be attuned to those shards because we carry that altered genetic code.  It makes our minds drastically different than the rest of the population.  That’s why I’m an empath.  There’s always been a part of me that isn’t human, that wasn’t ever human, and now that’s the part that’s in control.”

            “So integrating you brought out this code?”

            “Being born brought out that code, Blake!  I’ve always been an empath, and it’s this foreign genetic material inside of me that caused it.  But integrating me altered what I am, activated that material, and it took over.  The Shard project finished what that creature started thousands of years ago.  When I tell you I’m not Adam Levine anymore, I mean I don’t even have the same DNA!  It’s all completely altered now.  There’s even new genomes that don’t exist anywhere else on Earth.  I’m not human anymore, Blake, do you get that?  And the things I’ve done!  I go into battle and I manipulate emotions, terror, paranoia, anger, whatever it takes.  I’ve made people kill each other and then kill themselves, I’ve driven people insane, and I’ve killed, Blake.  I’ve already killed protecting you.  I just killed again tonight!  That’s what we were doing, before we brought One back for his date.  We had to fight.  It’s so bad that the Company sent out reinforcements to help us.  Your project is priority level now, and Terra wants you bad.  They’re closing in on you, Blake, and I still don’t have the faintest idea why!  And now we’re compromised, and until we can protect you again, I’m glad the base is on lockdown.  You’ve got to be careful, Blake, or…”

            “I don’t care about that now,” Blake insisted.  “I don’t give a damn about any of it.  All I care about is you.  You’ve got something in you that isn’t human?  If you were born with it, then you had that when I knew you before, and I still fell in love with you!  I don’t feel any different now that I know.  I love you, and I want to know why you’re not with me, and that is the only thing I care about!”

            Adam tried once more to pull free, shoving against Blake and pulling at the arms around him.  “Why the hell would you even want me, Blake?  The man you love literally does not exist anymore!  I’ve got what’s left of his body and part of his memories, but I am _not_ Adam Levine!  Why can’t you understand that?”

            “Because when I look into your eyes?” Blake said.  “All I see is the man I love.”

            “Those eyes glow green, you stupid idiot!”

            “It’s still you.”

            “Dammit, let go of me, Blake!  Let me show you what I am now!” Adam yelled. 

            Blake reluctantly let him go.  Adam stood up, his back to Blake, and pulled off his shirt.

            It was worse, far worse, than Blake had feared.  The large elaborate tattoo that Adam had on his back was gone, lost in a veritable forest of what could only be whip lashes.  “How many times did he take that whip to you?”

            “Three.”

            _“Three?”_

            “The last time was the morning before Unum got me out.  That’s why I needed stitches in my back.  But it gets better.”  Adam turned around, displaying his front.  The front of his body and his arms were also covered with telltale scars.  But the worst of all was Breaker’s name.  It wasn’t carved into Adam’s flesh under his clavicle, the way Miley had described it on One.  Instead, the name was spelled out in huge slashing letters that traveled from just above Adam’s right hip and crossed his entire torso to end at his left shoulder.  “Sexiest man alive, right?  Oh, he made sure to ruin all my tattoos, too, because he knew I liked them,” Adam was saying.  “Except the tiger on my arm.  He liked that one, too, so he kept it.”  Adam fished out a wallet and opened it up, displaying an all too familiar tiger on the leather.  He indicated his arm, where a solid patch of scar tissue indicated where the tattoo had once been.  “I suppose it’s a bit morbid, keeping the wallet,” he mused, shoving it back into his pocket.  “But why not?  It’s mine, in every sense of the word.”

            “Oh baby!”  Blake was up, holding Adam in his arms, before he realized he’d moved.  “I told you when you came back that I’d stand by you, and see you through this together.  I meant that!  Whatever you’re thinking or feeling, I’m here.  I love you, and I’m by your side!”

            And now it was an amazing thing.  The empath, already emotional and shocked to suddenly find himself back in Blake's arms, was somehow opening up to Blake.  Apparently, he was right that the containment field couldn’t stop tactile contact, and Adam’s innate power was strong despite its presence.  Blake could sense Adam's emotions, the fear, the pain, the longing, and beneath it the steadfast love that had somehow survived through all that Adam had gone through.  Blake did his best to open his heart to Adam, let him see how much he cared, how badly he needed him to stay.  Instantly, the emotions increased until Blake thought his heart would burst.

            “How can you still want me now?” Adam was asking.  His voice was full of wonder.  “How can you possibly still want me, when you know what I am, and what I've done?  When you see what he did to me?”

            “Because you are all that I have ever wanted,” Blake whispered.  “I was just too damned stupid to know it!  And everything you’ve gone through just makes me love you more.  I love how strong you are.  I don’t care about the scars, because you survived, and you’re still so beautiful, baby!  And I don’t care that you’re not human because there’s part of you that never was anyway and I still fell in love with you.  I love you, Adam.”

            “I love you, too.  But Blake, all I can give you is pain!”

            “Then I’ll take it.”  Blake tightened his arms, holding Adam close, closing his eyes and burying his face in Adam’s hair.  “When you were gone, I offered everything I have to get you back.  And that’s still true.  I will pay any price, bear any pain, if it means I can have you.”

            And now the flood of emotion was so strong it was hard to breathe.  Adam looked up at him.  His eyes were blazing green, but even so, Blake realized that this was Adam looking at him now, _his_ Adam, the man he’d fallen in love with, and his heart filled with joy.  “There you are,” he whispered, stroking his face.  “My Adam!  Oh baby, I’ve missed you so much!”  Then he bent down and, at long last, pressed his lips to Adam’s.

            It was like everything doubled.  He could feel the electric current that went through his own body when their lips touched, but now he could also sense the same sensation in Adam.  Through the empathic feedback, he could feel everything, the tingling pleasure when he buried his fingers in Adam’s hair, the feel of Adam’s bare, scarred skin under his hand, the pounding of both of their hearts, and the sweet relief that could only come from the release of emotions pent up for far too long.  Adam’s legs were around Blake’s waist, his full weight supported by Blake’s hips as his arms locked around Blake’s neck, forcing their mouths together, barely separating enough to gasp for air.

            And now came the steady, heady undercurrent of desire, growing as it was shared and reciprocated.  Blake was rock hard in an instant.  Adam moaned in his ear, clinging tightly, his own desire evident as he pressed against Blake.  _I could have him right now,_ Blake thought, _and it would be amazing, it would be…_

            “Warning – ten seconds until containment field drops.”

            _“No!”_ Blake screamed.  He held Adam with all his strength, desperately wanting to keep him.  “Don’t leave me now!  Tell me how to help you!”

            Adam clung to Blake.  His eyes were closed, his face set in a frown of concentration.  “I can’t think, can’t focus…!  Help me, Blake, please, get us out!  If you can pull all three of us out at once, maybe we can fight it?  Talk to One, he can check my mind, find my name, and then…”

            “Containment field dropping.”

            The green light vanished.  Adam jerked once, and then went limp in Blake’s arms, his limbs dangling loosely and his head resting on Blake’s shoulder as his glowing eyes rolled back and closed.  Blake gave a howl of frustration.

            Miley and Alicia immediately came running, braking to a stop at the sight of Blake and Adam.  Alicia clamped her hands over her mouth, her dark eyes wide with horror. 

            Miley’s eyes were wide as well.  “What did Breaker do to him?  His back is so much worse than One’s!  Oh!”  Her voice raised to a squeak of dismay as Blake gently let Adam down onto the floor, displaying the marks on his chest.

            Blake kissed Adam.  “I love you, Adam, and I’ll get you out.  I’ll find a way, I swear it.” 

            Adam lay still, lost in integration, the alien design of his mind unable to resist the need to connect with his brothers now that the containment field was down.

            Blake gently stroked his cheek, kissed him again, and then stood and wiped fiercely at his eyes.  “He’s there, trapped inside of that damned integration.  He thinks that if I can pull all three of them out at the same time, they might be able to fight being dragged back in.  But he doesn’t know his name.  He thinks maybe One can find it, but I don’t see One trusting me anytime soon.” 

            Alicia and Miley exchanged looks.  Then they both moved to embrace Blake.  Blake held them for a moment and took a deep breath, getting control of himself.  “I gotta get you girls back home,” he said.  “I don’t know how long they’ll be doing this integration thing, but you can’t be here when they wake up.”

            Miley’s eyes shone with tears.  “Oh Blake…”

            “Come on, honey,” Alicia called gently.  “Time for us to go before they wake up.  We can’t do much if they catch us, but maybe we can still help?”  She reached into her pocket.  “Nevaeh didn’t say much.  I think he was pretty much completely gone by the time the field dropped, but at least One calmed down.  Miley helped a lot with that.”

            “One really likes being petted,” Miley sniffed.  “But he was so mad!  He wouldn’t even look at me.  He just clung to Nevaeh and let me pet him, but he wouldn’t say a word.  So no, Blake.  I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’ll want to help us.”

            “But I think maybe Nevaeh did.  He only said one thing, a name.”  Alicia produced a small notebook and looked in it.  “I’m glad I carry this, to write song ideas when they come to me, because it meant I had it to write the name down.  Gareth Parland.  Mean anything to you, Blake?”

            “Gareth Parland?”  Blake thought for a moment, and shook his head.  “Can’t say it does.”

            “We can look it up,” Miley offered.  “If we find anything, we’ll let you know.”  She paused.  “That is, if we can reach you?”

            “Blake, what are you going to do?” Alicia asked, uneasy.  “As soon as they wake back up, these guys will go back to normal, and Nevaeh said you won’t be able to pull him back out for a while.  They are going to take you away!”

            “Thank you, ladies, for everything,” Blake said, ignoring the question and steering the two women towards the stairs.  “Now get home.  Nevaeh said he thinks you’ll be safe, as long as you stay quiet.  So mum’s the word, ok?”  He planted a gentle kiss on each of their temples.  “I’ll be fine.  You ladies just stay safe!”


	20. Renegade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake makes a fateful decision with far-reaching consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wee, diegetic music! For those who may not know, most shows on the tele feature non-diegetic music, heard by the audience, not the characters. Diegetic would be like how Hardwire played "Honeybee" for Seven, heard by the characters. I got to actually use the music I was listening to where it actually belonged in this story! So much fun!
> 
> "Renegade" by Styx  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXhuso4OTG4
> 
> "Indestructible" by Disturbed  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWxBrI0g1kE

            Once both the girls had left in Alicia’s car, Blake looked back at the hill, considering.  His heart ached.  Seeing Adam looking back at him simultaneously healed and shattered his soul.  For the first time, Blake had proof that what he’d been told all along wasn’t true.  _Adam was still there._   Adam was trapped inside of his own mind, forced into Shard’s integration.  But he was still fighting.

_“I did it for you, Blake!  He couldn’t break me because of you!”_

_“I think that’s why I keep falling out of alignment, because I’m still in love with you and that keeps pulling me out.”_

            For him.  Adam had held on through seven days of sheer hell for him.  A monster able to read his thoughts couldn’t break him.  And yet, when he was in full alignment with his integration, he loved Unum.  How could that be?

            _“Seven is only a year old, and I know for a fact that Adam Levine is still strong.  So get through to Seven, find a way to reach Adam, and maybe, between the two of you, you can find a way to help us all.”_

            Adam seemed like two different people, but the one in charge wasn’t Adam.  Whoever Seven was, the integrated empath was apparently smitten with Unum, but only when he was fully aligned.  Would tonight make any difference?  Even if Adam could somehow resist, could he remember who he really loved? 

            But in the end, would it even matter? 

            _“You have no idea how powerful they are, Blake!”_

            If Unum had the same powers as One, couldn’t he just erase Adam’s memory of tonight?  But then again, if Unum decided to throw Blake into “containment,” he’d probably never see Adam again.  Yet even Nevaeh seemed to believe that taking Blake to LB1, and therefore to Unum, was the best option.

_“The part of me that’s integrated loves Unum, and that’s the strongest part of me!  Every day, it gets stronger.  Blake, the part of me that loves you is fading away, vanishing a little more every day.  Before long, there won’t be anything left of it.”_

            Adam was trapped inside of his own mind, and every day he stayed integrated, he faded a little more.  Blake thought of Matt Mellon, how lost and simply exhausted he’d looked as Nevaeh, how hard it had been for him to fight his integration.  And he’d said One was even worse, that the telepath didn’t even respond to his original name anymore.  By the looks of him, Five wouldn’t respond long to his original name, either.  How long before Adam was gone completely?  And what could Blake do to save him, especially if he was locked up somewhere by Unum?

            That is, if he let Unum lock him up.

            Blake suddenly decided he had other plans.  Adam needed help.  They all did.  And Blake could do nothing to help them from a prison cell or with his mind wiped.  He needed to stay out, needed to stay himself for as long as possible.  Somehow, he had to find a way to save the man he loved.

            A way to save them all.

            Moving quickly, he raced through his house, gathering clothing and necessities and tossing them into a bag.  Then he ran back outside.  He looked in dismay at his new truck, still on its side where Five had kicked it.  Damned thing was only a few months old.  With a sigh, he jumped into his old truck and started out.  He wasn’t worried about any danger to himself.  So far, the only danger he’d been in had come from the brothers themselves.  But he was worried about what the brothers had said, how he was always watched when they weren’t around.  With the brothers present and, so far as anyone knew, still on duty, was he still being watched?  Even if he’d given the Company the slip, they’d probably still track him down somehow.

            But then he remembered the scars on Adam’s body, and thought about the other two.  Adam’s voice had been ruined, his tattoos destroyed and his body scarred.  He’d been taken away right before his third win, at the height of his career.  Five had been taken just as he was about to record his first album.  And One, he’d been taken on his wedding day.  Breaker had taken all three in public places, oblivious of discovery or just not caring.  And from the sounds of it, he’d done it about a dozen times, taking people from different countries, different continents.  All three of the brothers were discovered because they’d been trying to do good, to use their gifts to help other people.  And for that, they’d been taken away, tortured, and altered until they were no longer even human.  It was wrong.  Three lives had been destroyed right at their peak, and for what? 

            And what could these people possibly want from him?  Blake had little doubt that, if he let the Company take him in, his life would be destroyed as well.  _Fuck it,_ he thought fiercely. _You assholes want me?  You’re going to have to work for it!  Meanwhile, I need time to think.  All three of those guys are trapped, and if there’s any way to free them, by God, I’m going to find it!_

****

            It was three am and Blake was exhausted by the time he reached the camp.  He’d given money to a friend back when it had become clear his marriage was over to purchase the property, specifically so no one could trace it to him.  Blake paid for the taxes, upkeep, and utilities, and it was his escape from the world.  Not even Adam, who had known him better than anyone, had known about it.  That was the important part now.  If the Company tracked him here, they were damned good.  Blake suspected they were, but he figured he’d get at least a couple of days.  That would have to be enough.

            Good thing they were on the break, after the recorded shows and before the lives.  In fact, the first blinds, and the big reveal of the mystery coach, was on last night.  Well, the night before, now.  Blake had watched it, surprised to see how much the network had aired.  He’d expected them to gloss over Adam’s initial panic attack.  But they hadn’t, showing everything that had happened until Carson cut the cameras.  But Carson had filled the gap with a voice over.  Five’s clever solution to Adam’s panic had made the episode, and so had Adam’s demands.  Then the audience was treated to the unprecedented triple coach team in the last chair, able to watch as Adam slowly came out of his shell.  Blake thought it was a risky move, but he suspected it would pay off in a big way.  By now, everyone would be talking about the show.  Five and One had just become famous.  Blake wondered if they even realized? 

            Of course, Blake was unable to check for the response the show had generated.  He had his phone, but he’d turned it off, pulled the battery to be sure it couldn’t be traced.  He’d only kept it in case of dire emergency.  There was a pay phone in the next town, and that was how he’d planned to contact Alicia and Miley, see what they’d found out.  Gareth Parland.  He’d never heard the name before and had no idea what it could mean.

            Blake pushed the thought aside and trudged into the cabin.  Not bothering to change or brush his teeth, Blake pulled off his boots, belt, shirt and jeans and simply collapsed onto the bed in his underwear.  He was instantly asleep.

            He awoke the next morning feeling better, at least physically.  He fixed himself a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal, coffee, and some toast from bread that had miraculously escaped mold.  Then he showered, changed, and went out to the porch to sit in the sun and think.  The best part about the camp was the quiet.  The rocker on the porch provided a view of the lake, which was great for swimming, boating, and fishing.  Blake had enjoyed all three.  There was also decent hunting in the woods.  The storage shed behind the cabin was equipped with a walk-in freezer where he stored venison. 

            Perhaps more importantly, Blake had two gun safes.  He’d already gotten into them, loading several weapons and placing them in strategic hidden locations around the cabin.  His .45 was strapped to his waist, the pouch on the gun belt filled with ammo.  Blake knew he was a good shot.  While he couldn’t imagine aiming the gun at the brothers, he was still mindful of their concern.  They honestly seemed to believe that Blake was in danger.  Well, if someone really was after him, Blake was ready to defend himself. 

            No one was getting him without a fight.  Especially not now, when Blake had so much to fight for. 

            _Adam._   Blake could close his eyes and remember the feel of Adam’s body in his arms, the bare skin under his fingers, the taste of his lips.  He was hopelessly, head over heels in love, and being away from Adam was causing him actual physical pain.  But now that he’d integrated again, did Adam even remember what they’d shared?  Did he know how much Blake loved him?  Did he still love Blake in return?  Or had the integration taken it all away and buried Adam even further within his own mind?

            _I’ll find a way to save you,_ he vowed.  _I swear it.  Just hang on, baby, for a little longer!_

            Blake made up his mind.  He’d give Alicia and Miley a few hours, then he’d drive into town and use the pay phone to call them and see what they’d discovered.  Whoever Gareth Parland was, he had to be important.  Nevaeh was likely just as gone, for now, as Adam was.  But he’d made a real effort to give them that name.  He was trying to tell them something, and it was up to them to figure out what it was.  Blake had to believe it would lead to a way to free the brothers.  He had no other leads to follow.

            The rest and fresh air did wonders.  Feeling refreshed and clearer than he’d felt in days, Blake started around the cabin, heading towards the storage shed and the freezer.  He was fairly certain he still had some venison sausage in there, which would be great to fry up for lunch.  He’d have to make a grocery run while he was in town, of course, but he could…

            Blake was suddenly tackled from behind, driven face down to the ground, his arms pulled back.  Blake swore savagely.  His elbow connected with someone’s ribs, creating a satisfying crack.  He followed up with a sharp kick on someone’s knee, resulting in another cry of pain, and now Blake had an arm free.  He immediately reached for his weapon.  But he’d heard the sound of running feet, and a second attacker pounced on his gun arm.  “Drop it!”

            “Hell no!”  Blake heaved, managed to get to his knees.

            “Dammit, get him down!”  The two men joined forces, keeping his gun arm pinned and using their combined weight to force Blake hard against the ground.  He went down with a grunt and immediately started kicking.  The curses and exclamations of pain were music to his ears.

            Two more strange men ran up to assist.  Blake didn’t hold out much hope that the newcomers would help.  Sure enough, one pounced on his legs, while the other pried Blake’s fingers off his pistol.  Blake threw his body sideways, throwing off one of the men who had pinned him, and swung his fist.  He landed a hard punch to someone’s jaw.  “Let go of me!”

            No answer, except that he was once again driven hard to the ground, the weight of multiple bodies pinning him down.  Blake fought furiously, but was simply overpowered, his arms pulled back and his hands quickly tied.  Now Blake could see them, the armed men all over his property, moving through the woods towards his cabin.  He’d been completely surrounded, and he’d had no idea.  “Fuck!  What do you want?  I got money, let me go!”

            “Calm down, Breaker, this will be over quick.”

            Blake forgot to breathe.  _“What did you call me?”_

            But now his legs were being tied.  Blake tried frantically to kick his attackers away, but to no avail.  They had learned their lesson, and at least three or four men were still on top of him, holding him to the ground until he was securely bound.  A moment later he was being lifted up. 

            “Let me go!”  He squirmed and kicked with all his strength.  Blake was big and strong, and twice his kidnappers nearly dropped him.  But somehow, they held on, carrying him rapidly away.  “Where are you taking me?” Blake yelled.  “Just tell me what you want!  That fucking Unum, I swear I’m gonna break his scrawny neck!”

            “Be our guest,” one of the men carrying him grumbled.  “He sure made getting you a bitch and a half!”  Turning to another man, he asked, “We got a location on that Shard trio?”

            “We got incoming, but we’re still green as long as we haul ass.  Now move!”

            Blake sucked in his breath.  Unum hadn’t sent these guys.  They weren’t with the Company!  And now they had him.  They were taking him away, somewhere Adam and his brothers couldn’t find him!  And they’d called him…  “Why did you call me Breaker?  Who are you guys?”

            “How about you just relax?”

            “Fuck you!  Let me go!” Blake yelled as he was dragged into a vehicle.  He kept struggling, letting panic take over as the engine turned over.  But there was nothing he could do.  He was pushed down, held on the floor of the back seat.  Someone’s boot was in the small of his back, holding him down.  Another boot was between his shoulders.  His legs were jammed against the door, someone holding the ropes at his ankles to keep him from kicking.  Blake struggled anyway.  “Let me up, dammit!  What the hell do you want?”

            “Calm down, Breaker, we don’t want to hurt you.”  It was the man near Blake’s head, the one with his boot between Blake’s shoulder blades.  “Now you have a choice.  We can talk like a couple of civilized people, or I can shove a needle in your neck and you can take a nap.  Your call.”

            Blake forced himself to hold still.  “Why do you keep calling me that?”

            The man whistled.  “Wow, those Shard boys didn’t tell you anything?  Maybe our intel was wrong.”

            “It’s not wrong,” his partner insisted.  “You saw the files.  This is definitely him!  The trio probably doesn’t know.  You think they’d play along if they did?  Hell, they’d probably hand him over with a big red bow around his neck!”

            “Start making sense!” Blake ordered.  “What the hell do you want with me?”

            “Relax.  Nothing’s gonna happen to you.  You’ll be nice and comfy, and just wait for a bit.  Let nature take its course.”

            “Nature take its course?” Blake asked.  “What do you mean?  What do you think is going to happen?  I don’t know what your files say, but I don’t have any special powers, ok?  I’m just a man!”

            “That,” the man declared, “is exactly right!  And it’s also…”

            He paused, hearing the engine sputter and finally die.  The driver managed to get the vehicle pulled off the road before it stopped completely.  He pounded a fist on the steering wheel.  “You gotta be fucking kidding me!”

            “What is wrong with the damned engine?” asked the man in the passenger seat, exasperated.

            “Do I look like a mechanic to you?”

            “Oh for…!  Lemme take a look.”

            “Wait a minute.  Is someone singing?”

            And now Blake could hear what the man was referring to.  Someone _was_ singing.  Several someones now, a cappella in familiar harmony.

            _“Oh, Mama I can hear you a-cryin', you're so scared and all alone.  Hangman is comin' down from the gallows and I don't have very long!”_

            Styx, it was “Renegade” by Styx, and for some reason, it freaked Blake’s kidnappers right out.  As the music blared out from some unknown source, they were yelling, jumping out of the vehicle and grabbing frantically for weapons.  And then came the rattle of gunfire.

_“The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me!  The renegade who had it made retrieved for a bounty!  Never more to go astray, this’ll be the end today of the wanted man!”_  

            “What the fuck?”  Blake had no idea what was going on, but if he was getting out of this, now was the time.  He strained, trying desperately to pull his hands free.  But the ropes were tight around his wrists.  He was lying on the floor of the back seat of a closed-in jeep, his legs against the door on the driver’s side.  Blake squirmed and twisted around, pushing himself backwards against the door on the passenger side and straining for the handle.  He fumbled with it for a bit, somehow managed to open it, and tumbled backwards out the door to land directly on the back of his head on the ground.  Blake saw stars for a moment.  When they cleared, he wormed the rest of the way out of the jeep.

            He heard more gunfire.  The music got slightly louder, and then a hand grabbed Blake by the collar of his shirt and jacket and started rapidly dragging him along the ground.  Blake gagged and bounced, half-strangled by the time he’d been pulled to cover behind a tree.  Something cold and metallic brushed against his wrists, and suddenly his hands were free.  Blake looked up and saw a man with straight brown hair that hung down from his armored helmet to frame his face to his stubble-covered chin.  He was dressed in dark colored body armor and had knives and guns strapped all over his body, as well as a variety of pockets and pouches that bulged suspiciously.  Hard hazel eyes looked Blake over.  “You’re not injured?” he asked as he used his knife to cut the ropes on Blake’s ankles.

            “I…  No, I’m ok.  Who the hell are you?”

            “I’m Elton,” the man replied.  “More important, I’m the guy who’s gonna save your sorry ass.  Now move it!”

            Blake followed the man, realizing the music was somehow coming from him.  “It’s my theme song,” Elton said, as if this explained everything.  “You like it?”

            “Uh, nothing like letting the whole world know where you are!”

            “They know where I am as soon as I start shooting.  This way, they’re also scared shitless.”

            “Are you insane?”

            “Probably!”  Elton produced a pair of Smith and Wesson .44 Magnums and started rapidly firing.  “That pistol of yours is in my back pocket.  If you can get it without grabbing my fine ass, I would appreciate a little back-up!  We are way outnumbered here, and we gotta hold out until the cavalry gets here!”

            Blake had realized that as soon as he’d realized what Elton had been shooting at.  A small army of armed men had moved to surround them.  Blake cursed, grabbed his weapon, and fired at the man coming from behind them.  A large hole appeared in the man’s chest and he fell backwards.  Blake’s stomach twisted.

            “Puke later, Shelton!  If we don’t get out of this we are going to die, and I’m way too pretty for that.  Shit, down!”

            Blake threw himself onto his face just as Elton pressed a button, producing a thunderous explosion that took out a group running towards them.  “ _Fuck me!_ ”

            “Not into guys, buddy.  Talk to Seven if we survive this, or maybe Unum will let you have a go.”  Elton’s weapons roared again.  “Ok, we got a path, balls to the wall, cowboy, run!”

            Blake found himself running for his life through the woods while Styx rocked out on guitar.  Where the hell was that music even coming from?

            Meanwhile, Elton had replaced his Magnums with a pair of Peacemakers and was blasting his way through anyone in their path.  The man was an incredible shot.  He also had more weapons than an army base.  He produced a grenade from one of his pouches, pulled the pin, bounced it in his hand as they ran until Blake was just about to dive for cover and finally tossed it carelessly behind them.  Another thunderous explosion echoed.  “For fuck’s sake!” Blake yelled.  “What the hell was that for?”

            “Do I tell you how to sing country songs?  No?  Don’t tell me how to do my job, Shelton, just run and shoot anything in enemy colors!”

            “I ran out of ammo about five minutes ago and I can’t reload and run at the same time!”

            “Why the hell didn’t you say so?”

            “I was too busy running for my life and dodging explosions!”

            “Here!”

            Blake took the offered pistol and clips of ammo and immediately put the weapon to use, blasting away at someone trying to flank them to the left.  “Do we have any idea where the hell we’re going?”

            “None whatsoever!”

            _“What?”_

            “I’ll settle for ‘away from the bad guys,’ then I’ll worry about specifics.  Dammit, my song ended, hang on!”

            Incredibly, Elton ducked behind a tree and produced an ipod from a pocket.  Blake ducked down, swearing until he ran out of words as the sound of an air raid siren came from Elton’s hidden speakers.  “You like Disturbed?  ‘Indestructible!’  Great tune!” Elton said cheerfully.  “Excuse me.”

            Guitars sang from Elton’s hidden speakers as he walked casually out from behind the tree, this time with a pair of Desert Eagles, and opened fire.  Elton seemed to prefer hand cannons.  Blake gave up on swearing and just pulled the trigger at anything that moved until he was out of ammo.  He ducked behind the tree, replaced the clip, and was just about to duck back out when Elton suddenly flew past him to land on his back in the dirt with a smoking hole in his chest.  _“Elton!”_

            “Ow.”  Elton sat up, raised his weapons again, and fired.  He got back to his feet, seemingly oblivious of the fact that his chest cavity was now air conditioned.  Blood gushed from the wound.  Elton replaced one weapon, reached into another pouch, produced something flesh colored and shoved it into the hole.  Then he grabbed his second weapon and was firing again.  “Well get up, Shelton, we ain’t got all day!  Move it, boy!”

            Blake got to his feet, eyes wide.  “How the hell are you still alive?”

            “Because I am just that awesome.  Now come on, we’re almost there!”

            “I thought you didn’t know where you were going?”

            “And you trusted me anyway!  I’m so proud of you!  Some people have such terrible trust issues.”  He swung to his right, fired, and then fired twice more straight ahead.  “Take Seven, for instance.  He just can’t understand my motives for doing half the shit I do, and as a result, he questions me even more than you’ve been doing today!”  He fired again.  “It really is very annoying.  But here we are.  And just in time!  Stick your thumb out, Shelton, and show some leg!”

            The roar of an approaching motorcycle filled the air as Blake and Elton stepped out once more into the road less than twenty feet from the jeep Blake had just escaped from.  Apparently, they’d gone in a circle.  But a figure Blake would recognize anywhere maneuvered the bike up to the pair, snatched a helmet from the back, and shoved it at Blake.  “Elton, you ok?” Adam called, obviously noting the hole in Elton’s chest armor.

            “Never been better!  You kids have fun, and don’t stay up too late.  I’ll meet you at the safe house.”

            Adam hesitated.  “You sure, man?  Your team’s gone!”

            “You see what I mean about trust issues, Shelton?”  Elton sighed dramatically.  “It’ll take more than Terra mercs to take me down, Seven.  You just get your boyfriend out of here.”

            Blake tried not to hope when Adam didn’t correct him.  Helmet in place, he swung his long leg over the bike, settling behind Adam and wrapping his arms around the empath’s waist.  Holding him felt so good he almost forgot about the mercenaries until Elton started firing again.  Adam pushed off and Blake held on for dear life when the bike shot forward.


	21. The Empath In His Natural Environment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pursued by mercenaries, Adam must defend Blake alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of us who don't speak French, some translations:  
> Il n'est pas aussi stupide qu'il en a l'air - He's not as stupid as he looks  
> Il a probablement entendu cela avant, oui? - He's probably heard that before, yes?  
> Ils sont très étranges - They are very strange  
> Ce sont des célébrités américaines - They're American celebrities  
> Qu'est-ce que vous attendiez? - What do you expect?  
> Va te faire enculé - Go fuck yourself
> 
> For those that do speak French, I'm fairly certain I screwed something up and would appreciate correction!
> 
> This is the movie quote referenced:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nIGYlyJn0

            Blake had ridden on a motorcycle with Adam before, and swore he’d never do it again.  It wasn’t that his friend was a bad driver.  It was that he seemed to have no concept of his own mortality.  Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to have changed.  Adam ignored every posted speed limit, pushing the bike’s powerful engine, nearly putting the vehicle on its side as they raced around hairpin turns.  “It’s ok to slow down, you know!” Blake yelled over the wind.

            “Tell that to the assholes chasing us!  Then I’ll slow down!”

            Blake looked back and saw a small caravan of military-style jeeps and bikes racing after them.  “Oh.”

            “Yeah, oh!  Why the fuck did you run off alone, you moron?  How stupid can you be?  If people are assigned to protect you, that means someone is after you!  We woke up, you were gone, I had another fucking panic attack, I think Five was about ready to cry, and One threw things!  By the time we tracked you, we were already under attack.  Elton had to call out the reserves!  We had to pound our way through half a damned army of Terra soldiers to get to you, and we were almost too late!  Elton lost a dozen good men trying to reach you, Blake, and he’s still back there fighting to cover us!  What the hell were you thinking?”

            “I was thinking that I needed some time to think, and figure out a way to help you guys!” Blake shot back.  “And I was thinking I couldn’t do that if you took me back to your base and handed me over to Unum!”

            “Well, you got your wish.  Terra hit LB1.  No idea how they did it, but they blew up the transport pads.  No way to recall us now until they get them fixed.”

            Blake stilled.  “Is Unum ok?”

            “Unum didn’t leave enough of those fuckers to recognize.  The problem is that we can’t be recalled, and the only other way to get to LB1 really isn’t practical.  Which means we gotta hold out against everything Terra can throw at us until they get repairs done and Unum can recall us.  You running off right in the middle of it was the cherry on top, Blake.  Nice job, dumbass!”

            Blake ground his teeth.  “How the fuck was I supposed to know?  Do you even remember what happened back at your secret base thing?”

            “Of course I fucking remember!  You knocked me out of alignment with that kiss, you sexy son of a bitch, and when we integrated, between me and Five, it knocked One out, too!  Now all three of us are out of alignment again, all I can think about is sex, and it’s going to take time for my brothers and I to pop back into alignment enough to be at full strength to fight!  Unum’s gonna have a shit fit!”

            “You’re out of alignment?”  Blake sucked in his breath, remembering Adam’s comment that all he could think about was sex.  “Does that mean…?”

            “That means that you and Unum and I need to talk,” Adam declared.  “Because I still have feelings for you, but at the same time, I have feelings for him!  I’m really confused.  I don’t know what’s going to happen now, alright?  I just know that I don’t want to lose you.  Whatever happens, in whatever capacity, I need you in my life, Blake.  And I swear these fuckers aren’t taking you.  I will die before I let that happen!  Now shut the fuck up before I end up wrecking us!”  He hesitated.  “Listen, if I have to fight, which is likely, you’re going to see a bit of what I was trying to tell you.  If it freaks you out, I get it, I was freaked out myself.  But you have to let me go into my integration, alright?  Until I can be with my brothers, I need everything from them that I can get.  Now hold on tight!”

            No way Blake was going to die now!  He held on tight, leaning into turns with Adam, trying hard not to distract the empath with his emotions.

            Adam had reached civilization, the town where Blake usually went for supplies for his camp.  Now they weren’t the only ones on the street outside of their pursuers.  Adam took full advantage of the traffic, weaving through moving vehicles to the sound of squealing tires, blaring horns, and shouted curses.  But the jeeps couldn’t follow, leaving only the other motorcycles.  Adam popped up onto the sidewalk, scattering pedestrians to dart down an ally.  Almost immediately, they turned again, nearly putting the bike on its side.  As the chasing motorcycles raced past the nearly-hidden side alley they were in, Adam stopped at what looked like a service entrance to a business of some sort.  He held his hand over the lock for a moment.  The door opened easily when he tried it.

            “How the hell did you do that?” Blake asked.

            “Spoonbending,” Adam replied, turning the bike around in a tight circle.  “Nice subtle method of breaking and entering.”

            “So you could all do that?”

            “It’s how One got in your house that night, Blake.

            “Then why the hell did Five kick in my door?”

            “Does he strike you as subtle?” 

            “Good point.  Um, what are you doing?”

            Adam answered by gunning the engine, popping up the front wheel to clear the entrance, and driving straight into the building.

            Blake had known for years that his best friend was crazy.  Now he amended his opinion.  Adam was certifiable.  He roared through a storage area, pushed through a crowded kitchen, bumped through another door and then sped through a fancy dining area.  Blake tried not to think about the damage, injuries, and panic they left in their wake as they zoomed out the front and back into the street.  He was glad the helmets had dark face plates so they wouldn’t be recognized.  But at least they’d lost their pursuers.  No one was crazy enough to follow this maniac through a crowded restaurant!

            Blake had just started to relax when one of the jeeps they’d dodged earlier raced out of a side street and skidded to a stop in front of them.  This time, the bike did go on its side, the two men rolling to a stop while the bike slid on, ending up wedged partway under the jeep.  A second jeep came up and stopped behind them, blocking their escape.  Adam rolled on top of Blake, trying to cover his friend with his body as armed men jumped out of the two vehicles to surround them.  Blake tensed, his hand going towards the pistol at his hip.  But Adam only raised his hand, waving it towards the shop to their left.

            The plate glass display window shattered, the knife-like shards spinning in a whirlwind that flew out to surround their attackers.  Jagged blades of glass sliced through skin and flesh amid rising shrieks and screams of pain as the men dove for cover.

            _Spoonbending indeed!_ Blake thought, blinking in amazement at Adam.  He noted the shocked expressions on bystanders and wondered what the papers would think of this?  Yet again, he was glad of the dark faceplates on the helmets.

            Adam was up, hunching over Blake as he pulled the larger man to his feet.  As they started running, there was a sudden pop, and Adam yelped and stumbled.  But he never slowed, pushing Blake into a small walkway between buildings.  “Adam!” Blake yelled as he ran.  “You’re hit?”

            “Don’t call me that, especially now!  I’ve got to focus on my integration to fight, and you can’t say or do anything to pull me out of it or we’re both going to die!”

            “But are you hurt?”

            “Don’t worry about me, just run!”

            Blake hauled ass down the walkway until Adam stopped them at a fire escape.  Adam jumped up, pulling the ladder down.  When he did, the hole in the lower left side of his jacket and the blood running down his back were clearly visible.  “You did get shot!”

            “Get up there, Shelton!  Trust me, I’m fine, and you’re way more important!”

            “Not to me!”

            “Get up the fucking ladder, Shelton, and let me do my job!”  Adam had pulled off his helmet, revealing his glowing eyes.  Screams of terror and sobs of despair rose from down the walkway as Adam ran towards the men who’d followed them.

            Blake quickly got up the ladder.  At the top, he drew his pistol and looked down to see Adam attacking the men.  He had some sort of knife with a narrow blade in his left hand and his helmet in the right.  As Blake watched, he bashed the closest mercenary in the face with the helmet.  Then he rapidly stabbed the next.  Blood flowed from a hole in the back of Adam’s jacket, the flow peaking as the muscles in his back worked.  Already, the left side of the back of his jeans was saturated, an ominous trail of red moving down his left leg.  Yet Adam never slowed.  He moved quickly among the remaining three men, dispatching them with ease as they cowered or cried.  The final man drew his weapon, put it under his own chin, and fired.  Blake could only stare in silent shock, but Adam simply wiped off his weapon and replaced it in the hidden sheath inside his jacket.

            Adam wasn’t finished.  Scanning quickly for witnesses and seeing none, he rapidly dragged the bodies together into a pile.  Then he ran his hands over the blood that stained the front of his clothing.  It came out in a rolling orb that he let fall to splatter on the pile.  Adam stood still, holding his right hand open and flat over the pile, his left hand on his tracer bracelet at his wrist.  There was a bright flash, and a sound.  Blake recognized the odd “thump” he’d heard before, back at the studio when he’d seen a flash like that in the alley.  As a brief gust of wind whipped past, Blake understood.  It was the sound of air, rushing to fill a sudden vacuum.  Blake rubbed his eyes, blinked away the spot that the bright flash of light had produced, and saw that the walkway where Adam was jogging closer was now empty.  The bodies, their equipment, and even the blood was gone.

            Except, of course, for what continued to drip unnoticed from Adam’s wound.

            Adam rapidly climbed the ladder and reached Blake.  His glowing eyes did a quick appraisal, and suddenly Blake felt numb.  “Be shocked later, Shelton,” he ordered.  “And put that damned pistol away before you hurt yourself.  We gotta move!”

            This wasn’t his Adam.  Adam would never be this cold, not even under the worst of circumstances.  Blake sternly reminded himself of what he had said, how he had to focus on his integration for the strength to fight.  Adam was alone, trying to protect Blake against God alone knew how many more hired guns, and he’d already been wounded.  Of course he’d need to go deep.  No wonder he seemed so cold and distant.  Adam – no, Seven - was doing what he had to do to keep them both alive.  But why was he fighting alone?  “Where are the other two?” Blake called as he replaced his weapon and climbed to the top of the building.

            “We were supposed to meet with them, but obviously, we got cut off,” Seven explained.  “They’re fighting, too.  Dammit, how the hell did Terra know to cut us off, and how do they keep finding us so fast?  They’ve got to be tracking you somehow, Shelton.  We need to scan you, but nothing we can do about it now.  Come on!”

            He grabbed Blake’s hand.  Blake had reason to be glad of his long legs as Seven started off, leaping across the rooftops, running almost flat-out until Blake was gasping for breath and holding a painful stitch in his side.

            Seven paused, let go of Blake’s hand and let him catch his breath.  He peeked over the roof.  “Dammit, they’re surrounding the building.  Now it gets interesting.”  He looked at Blake.  “Shelton, I need you to trust me, alright?”

            “Sure, buddy.  What do you need?”

            He held out his hand.  “Take my hand, don’t let go, and don’t try to stop!”

            Blake took his hand without question.  Seven immediately started running again, racing towards the edge of the roof.  After that was nothing at all but empty air.  _Leap of faith,_ Blake thought as they both charged over the edge.  _I love you, Adam._

            The roof was four stories high.  There was time to feel the wind whistling past, see the ground coming up at deadly speed.  And then, suddenly, the ground slowed and stilled as they hovered just above it.  Blake’s feet gently touched the ground.  He chuckled.  “Spoonbending includes levitation, huh?  Son of a bitch, that was awesome!”

            “Not easy to do, especially with someone else, so let’s try not to do it again,” Seven declared.  He swayed, winced, and rubbed at his temples.  “I really can’t see right now, so I need you to get us going.  Straight ahead, ok?”

            “Right.”  Blake scooped him into his arms, held him tight to his chest, and started running.

            “I meant guide me, Shelton, not carry me!”

            “Shut up and get your head settled.  Straight ahead!”  Seven sighed and slipped his arms around Blake’s neck, closing his eyes to focus as Blake raced down the sidewalk.  Blake hadn’t gone more than a few feet before he heard shouts and knew they were being chased again.  He had no idea how much longer he could keep running.  He’d never thought the man he loved weighed much, but now the rock star grew heavier with every step.

            Fortunately, Seven was already squirming.  “Put me down, I can see ok now.  Thanks, Shelton.”

            “No problem,” Blake wheezed, letting him down.

            “Gimme your helmet,” Seven ordered.

            Blake wrenched it off and handed it over.  Seven gunned it, nailing the driver of a motorcycle that was closing in on them.  The man lost control and the bike keeled over, sending showers of sparks as it slid to a stop.  Then Seven reached into a pocket and produced a necklace.  “Put this on,” he encouraged.  “It’ll help hide us.”

            “Another safe classification?” Blake asked, putting it on.

            “Yeah.  It’s called a blur, and you can probably guess what it does.  It won’t fool anyone trained to use it, but it’ll help.  And keep running!”

            Seven took his hand again, jerking him into another side ally where they collided with a tall, dark-skinned woman.  “Hey there, brother!” she exclaimed.  Her voice had a thick African accent, and her eyes were wide, obviously able to see past the effect of the blur.  “Respect my personal space!”

            “Sorry, sister, but we could really use some help,” Seven apologized.  “We’ve got some people after us.”

            “Not a problem.”  The woman stepped past them and simply stood, her arms crossed over her chest. 

            Seven pushed Blake down against the wall where a large metal dumpster provided cover.  “Stay there.”  Then he stepped in front of him, just behind the strange woman.

            “Seven, what are you doing?  You’re going to get this woman killed!”

            “My sister will be just fine.”

            “Wait, what?”

            Shouts from the end of the alley as the mercenaries spotted them.  The woman gestured, beckoning them closer, and ducked behind the dumpster with Seven as they opened fire.  Deprived of their targets, the men ran into the alley.  When they got a few feet away, the woman suddenly rose, grabbed the dumpster, picked it up easily and then swung it with stunning violence.  With a sickening crunch, it crushed the mercenaries against the wall.  “No time to flash them,” she called, holding the dumpster like a shield as more mercenaries arrived and began firing into the alley.

            “Get Shelton to the vehicle,” Seven ordered.  “I’ll deal with these.”

            “No time to flash means no need to cover tracks!” the woman declared.  Her glowing green eyes were hard as she raised the dumpster and threw it at their attackers.  It crashed into the men, sending them into the street and straight into a passing car, which careened wildly and came to rest against a telephone pole.

            “Dammit, Dos!” Seven yelled.  “That was a civilian!”

            “Don’t criticize me, Seven!  Project Honeybee is priority now!”

            “We’re still supposed to minimize civilian casualties!”

            “Just shut up and get to the car!”

            Seven growled, pulled an astonished Blake to his feet, and raced down the alley towards the waiting vehicle.  Dos ran up behind them, grabbed one under each arm, and ran like the wind, arriving at a waiting vehicle.  She rudely shoved her protesting passengers into the back seat, jumped into the driver’s seat, and was soon flying down the road.

            “Holy shit,” Blake exclaimed.  “Ho-ly _shit_!  She’s like Five, isn’t she?  Wait, does that mean she’s a healer, too?  Hey lady, Seven got shot!”

            “He better not be bleeding all over my seat!”

            “Sorry,” Seven called.  “I kind of am.”

            “Dammit, brother!”  She glared at him in the rearview mirror.  “I’ll heal you at our next stop, but you are cleaning my upholstery!”

            “Yeah, yeah.”

            “You people?” Blake declared.  “Are seriously fucked in the head!”

            Her now-dark eyes moved to Blake, amused.  She was tall and built like an athlete, with features that were pretty but just shy of beautiful.  Her head was shaved about two inches above her ears and along her temples, and the rest of her hair flowed in long braids to her shoulders.  She looked proud and fierce.  “Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Shelton,” she said.  “I’m Dos.”

            “Pleasure.”

            “Ah, here he is.”  Dos slammed on the brakes, threw the car into park, opened the door, and then ignored it to clamber over the back seat, practically ending up in Seven’s lap before he crawled over to the middle of the back seat.  She scowled at the trail of blood.  “Idiot!”

            “What did he do?” called the man who had just climbed into the driver’s seat.

            “Bullet in the kidney.”  She’d pulled Seven’s jacket and shirt up and was looking at the wound, pushing him forward for her inspection.

            Blake blanched.  It looked deep, bloody, painful and possibly severe.  Adam was hissing in pain as she probed it, and Blake’s heart was pounding.  He grabbed for Adam’s hand, giving a desperate look to Dos.  “You can heal it, right?  He’ll be ok?”

            “He’d be ok if she did nothing!  He’s Shard!”  The man’s accent was European and sounded French.  He had blonde hair, perfectly styled into a short wave that turned into soft curls at the base of his neck, sharp yet handsome features and piercing blue eyes.  He wore an expensive-looking suit, complete with a silk tie and diamond tie tack, with a white shirt and a long suit jacket.  He was currently scowling as he drove, the engine racing.  “Are you being tracked, mon amie?”

            Blake jerked his head towards Adam.  “He thinks so.  What do you mean he’d be ok if she did nothing?  He’s bleeding like a stuck pig, and she said he got shot in the kidney!”

            “I told you, I’m fine!” Adam grunted.  “I’m integrated with Five, and that means I can take a lot of damage before it drops me.  Besides, I’m not human anymore, remember?”

            “As I said, he’s Shard.”

            “Blake, this is Uno,” Adam said, indicating the man in the driver’s seat.  “Uno, Blake Shelton.”

            “Enchanté, monsieur.”

            “Uno and Dos, Spanish for one and two?” Blake guessed.  “You guys are another trio?”

            “Il n'est pas aussi stupide qu'il en a l'air,” Dos called. 

            “Il a probablement entendu cela avant, oui?” Uno replied.

            Adam snickered.

            “I don’t know what they said,” Blake declared, glaring at Adam, “but you’re a dick.”  He frowned.  “Wait a minute.  Since when can you speak French?”

            “I can’t,” Adam explained.  “But One can, so as long as I’m integrated with him, I can, too.  We can also speak Spanish and a bit of German.”

            Blake sulked.  “Damned show-off!”

            Adam suddenly grimaced and hissed again, and Blake immediately felt bad.  He grabbed both of Adam’s hands and kissed them.  “I’m here, baby,” he soothed.  “Squeeze my hands, that’s it.”  Blake didn’t know if this would pull him out of integration or not, but at the moment he didn’t care.  Adam clung to his hands, his pain filled hazel eyes locked with Blake’s, and that was all that mattered.  “I’m right here.  You just squeeze my hands, and focus on me, ok?”  When Adam nodded, Blake kissed his hands again and nodded to Dos.

            Dos shot Blake a look, cocked an eyebrow, and went back to work.  Her eyes were glowing green as she pressed on either side of Adam’s wound.  Adam grimaced in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth and squeezing Blake’s hands until his knuckles were white.  Blake held on, whispering encouragement to Adam as he watched Dos.  Bit by bit, the bullet emerged as the flesh healed.  Her long fingers carefully plucked it out.

            “Is it over?” Blake asked.

            “He’s all healed up.  Full-metal jacket.  Must have hurt.”

            “Yeah, just a bit,” Adam grunted.  He leaned into Blake, his face shining with sweat.  “Thanks, Blake.”

            “Of course.”  Blake eyed the bullet and looked at Adam.  “I see you’ve collected some more white man’s metal,” he said solemnly.

            Recognizing the movie quote, Adam grinned.  “Yes.  I seem to be a magnet for it.”

            “Ils sont très étranges,” Dos called, tossing the bullet negligently onto the floor.

            “Ce sont des célébrités américaines,” Uno replied.  “Qu'est-ce que vous attendiez?”

            “Va te faire enculé,” Adam called cheerfully.

            “Ok, I don’t speak French?” Blake said, glowering at Adam.  “But fuck you, too!”


	22. Uno and Dos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Adam join forces with Uno and Dos, who seem a bit too interested in Adam for Blake's tastes. Meanwhile, Alicia and Miley learn something unexpected when they look up Gareth Parland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More (probably incorrect) French translations:  
> Idiot anglais - Stupid Englishman  
> Merveilleux - Wonderful  
> N’importe quoi - Whatever
> 
> Again, let me know if I screwed these up!  
> My wedding anniversary is here, so for obvious reasons, probably won't post for a few days. May still peek at my e-mail, though, and in that case I'll reply to comments, but no promises!

            Adam was spoonbending again, this time running his hand over Blake’s body, fingers hovering just above the surface.  Dos was somehow helping.  Her left arm was around Adam’s waist.  She rested her right hand, long fingers splayed, on the back of his head.  Like Adam, her eyes were closed as she concentrated.  “There,” she called.

            Adam opened his glowing eyes and looked ruefully at where his hand had stopped, directly over Blake’s left bicep.  “You have got to be kidding me!”

            “What?” Blake asked.

            “The tracer,” Adam sighed.  “It’s imbedded there.”

            “Uh, what?”

            “I definitely have to take some time and scan your mind,” Uno grumbled.  “How could you have an implanted tracer in your arm and not know it?”

            “That is an excellent question.  Blake, how…  Hey!”

            Blake yelled as well.  Dos had released Adam to reach past him and grab Blake’s sleeve, ripping it open with careless disregard.  “We need to lose this tracer, and now,” she explained.  “There’s only one way to get it out.”

            Blake’s eyes grew wide as she produced a wicked-looking knife.  “Uh, about that,” he stammered.  “Do you have any…  _Ow, fuck!”_

            “Easier if you don’t know it’s coming,” Dos explained.  The knife had sliced into the skin of Blake’s arm and deftly popped out a small electronic device.  Seven caught it as it fell and passed it up to Uno’s waiting hand.  Uno opened the window and tossed it out.  Meanwhile, Dos had already healed Blake’s arm.

            “You guys do real delicate work, you know?” Blake complained, rubbing at his arm.  “You both look like you’re in your thirties, but you act like kids!”

            “They’ll probably still find our rendezvous point,” Uno called, ignoring Blake.  “We’re going to have to stop and insure any who come for us.  Seven, you’re out of alignment.”

            “I’m aware.  Talk to the big sexy idiot to my left, it’s his damned fault!”

            “In this case, that’s an advantage.”  He pulled over.  “Dos, take the wheel, I’ll bring him in.”

            Adam frowned.  “This isn’t the time for this, Uno.  My brothers are fighting!  You can’t just…”

            “Protecting Shelton is our objective,” Dos called, climbing back over the seat into the driver’s seat.  Her clothing was stained with Adam’s blood.  “And we need you with us now.”

            “What’s going on?” Blake asked Adam quietly as Uno jogged around the car and climbed in next to Adam.

            “They want to pull me partially into their integration, to take advantage of my power,” Adam explained.  “It’ll help with the fight, but…”

            “Seven is concerned, because it means he’ll be much farther out of alignment with his Shard trio, and his brothers will lose some of what he provides,” Uno told Blake as the car started moving again.

            “Can he be pulled out completely?”

            “Blake!” Adam exclaimed.

            “Only Unum has that power,” Uno replied, nonplussed.  “He can break a trio, but that’s not what you’re asking.  Seven can’t ever be pulled completely out of Shard integration.”

            “Did you not see what just happened?” Dos called, looking annoyed.  “He’s not your lover anymore, Shelton!  He’s not human, and cutting him off from Shard wouldn’t change that.”

            “Silence!”  Uno had turned himself sideways in the seat to face Adam and was cradling Adam’s head in his hands.  His eyes were blazing green.

            Blake had already guessed that Uno was a telepath.  He understood the gist of what Uno wanted to do, but the unhappy look on Adam’s face bothered him.  Then Adam winced and pushed at Uno’s hands, and he became alarmed.  “You’re hurting him!”

            “Stop resisting, brother,” Uno called.

            “You’re pulling me too hard!” Adam cried.  “You’re dragging me too far out!  Dammit, Uno, you’re gonna get my brothers killed!”

            “The subject we are supposed to be protecting takes precedence!” Uno insisted.  “Now stop resisting and come to me!”  Uno hissed and made a face.  “Idiot anglais!  Tell One to let you go!  There, finally!  Merveilleux!”

            “Oui!” Duo called excitedly.  “Merveilleux, Uno!  Well done, brother!”

            Adam looked dazed, but the other two had oddly blissful expressions.  Blake ignored them for now.  “You ok, buddy?”

            “Hmm?”  Adam blinked, shook his head, and rubbed at his temples.

            “Let him be for now,” Uno advised.  His eyes were still glowing, and still fixed greedily on Adam.  “He needs to adjust a bit to our integration.  By the way, merci, thank you, for bringing him so far out of alignment.  It made bringing him into our integration much easier, although One and Five, I am certain, will be most upset.”

            Adam frowned, still rubbing his temples.  “You can’t keep me, Uno.  You know that!”

            Uno only hummed in response.

            “We’re nearly there,” Dos called.  “Seven, you need to focus, brother.  We need you with us now!”

            “Just reach out for us, brother,” Uno urged.  “We need you!  Don’t let us down!”

            Adam grimaced, nodded, and closed his eyes.  When he opened them again, as the car turned off onto a dirt road, Blake knew he was Seven again.  Blake swallowed hard.  _He’ll come back,_ he reminded himself.  _Adam loves me, and he’s strong.  He’ll come back._

            By the time the car stopped at what appeared to be an abandoned quarry, Blake had his pistols ready.  He still had the one Elton had given him and one remaining clip, as well as his own .45.  Blake was ready to help in their defense.  Seven had made a face at the sight of the weapons, but Uno and Dos seemed to approve.  Blake followed them out, still not liking the way that the other two were looking at Seven.  Blake remembered what he’d learned from Five, about how incomplete he and One had felt until the empath had joined them, and how his presence had made the other two stronger.  Empathy was the rarest ability, with only three found so far.  If Uno and Dos didn’t have an empath, it made sense that they’d want Seven.  But the way they’d acted before Uno brought Seven in didn’t mesh with the way Five had described what being without an empath was like.  Obviously, something more was going on, but just as obviously, Uno and Dos very much coveted Seven.  Blake hoped One and Five were alright.  He’d feel much better when the empath was back with them.

            “Incoming!” Seven called.

            “Let them come into the quarry a bit,” Uno ordered.  “Dos, prepare to intercept!”

            Blake found some cover and got down.  The sharp shale covering the ground dug into his knees as he stretched his long frame across the ground.  His thoughts were going a mile a minute.  Between the number of mercenaries at his camp, those that had chased him and Adam through the town, and however many were coming now, the sheer number of hired guns that this “Terra” had sent after him was sobering.  Adam had said that the mysterious group was closing in on him, and that he and his brothers had been fighting them during the day – was that really only yesterday? – prior to bringing One back for his date.  Blake couldn’t for the life of him understand why.  And the worst thing was what the man had called him.  _Breaker._   He understood it was probably a code name of some sort or another, but of all the names to call him, why that one?

            No time to think about it now.  The trio had taken what cover they could find in the quarry, Uno and Seven together and Dos slightly ahead.  Now the jeeps and motorcycles were coming in, disgorging passengers who immediately opened fire.  Blake saw the telltale puffs of debris where bullets hit near the other three.  But he quickly realized that nothing was coming near him.  _They want me alive.  What the hell for?_

            And now something was happening.  Screams and shouts rang out.  Weapons swung around, men turning on each other.  Dos had picked up an abandoned piece of rusty equipment and was moving among the men, battering them, sending bodies flying like bowling pins.  Blake saw a group scatter, heading for a shed.  He looked with interest at the large propane tank outside of it.  He checked the position of Dos, saw her a distance from the tank, and squeezed the trigger.

            He was sadly disappointed when his shot didn’t result in a thunderous explosion like in the movies.  All his shot did was punch a small hole in the tank and produce a loud whistling noise as gas escaped.  But he heard Uno laugh, and one of the mercs near the damaged tank, moving robot-like, reached into his pocket, produced a lighter, and flicked it.

            The explosion rocked the quarry.  Rocks, debris, and worse rained down.  Blake’s ears rang for a moment.  When he could hear again, all he heard was Uno laughing and clapping, and Dos cursing savagely in French.  A few moments of fighting later, the quarry was free of attackers.

            Seven was staring at Blake as if he’d grown a second head.  “You,” he said, “are certifiable!”

            “This, from the guy who drove a motorcycle through a crowded restaurant?”

            Seven shrugged, conceding the point.  “Nice shooting, though.”

            “Thanks.”  Blake got to his feet.  Dos was still grumbling in French, but she appeared to have calmed down.  “Sorry, Dos,” he called.

            “You got gore in my hair, you stupid man!” she complained, her thick African accent even thicker in her irritation.  “I’ve got blood in my car and my clothes from Seven and that was bad enough.  But gore in my hair?  Damn you, Shelton!”

            Uno laughed again.  Then Seven calmly pointed out the bloody bits of gore on his suit, and once more, the quarry was filled with cursing in French.

****

            It wasn’t a long drive to their rendezvous point, but Blake was shaking by the time they arrived.  The events of the day were starting to catch up to the country star.  He was very glad that Adam was there to keep him from completely falling apart.  Never in his life had Blake witnessed so much violence and death.  Worst of all were those he’d killed.  The faces, glimpsed so briefly during the chaos of the battle, were burned into his memory now.  Blake had no doubt he’d see them in his dreams.  But what he’d seen wasn’t the worst of it.  Blake could hear the explosions and screams ringing through his memory.  He could smell the gunpowder, the exhaust, the acrid smell of his own fear, the sweet roasting meat smell that came from burning flesh.

            “I get it, buddy,” Adam was saying softly.  He held Blake’s hand in both of his, his glowing eyes on Blake’s face.  “I went through it, too, back when this all started.  It’s best if I don’t take it completely away.  You need to be able to deal with this on your own, but I can numb the worst of it.”

            Blake nodded, grateful.  His friend held tightly to his hand, which comforted Blake nearly as much as his powers did.  The only thing Blake wanted to do was find a quiet place, pull Adam into his arms, and just hold him while he let himself fall apart.  But Uno kept his hand on the empath’s shoulder, his eyes softly glowing as he watched his interaction with Blake.  He was, Blake knew, keeping Adam integrated with himself and Dos, not permitting him to go back to his brothers.  It bothered Blake greatly.  Uno had explained that, since he had been integrated into another trio, Seven was difficult to keep aligned with him and Dos.  If they were attacked and Seven wasn’t with them, they’d all be weaker or Uno would have to waste precious moments bringing him back in.  It was a logical reason, but Blake couldn’t get past the way that Uno’s hand possessively gripped his friend’s shoulder, or the greedy look in Dos’s eyes when she looked back at him in the rearview mirror.  Adam himself seemed uncomfortable, frequently shrugging Uno’s hand off of his shoulder and shooting him a glare when the telepath immediately replaced it.  But the empath said nothing, focused instead on Blake.  Blake appreciated it for sure, but his concern remained.

            Their destination turned out to be a large house.  Elton, One and Five were waiting outside.  Blake noted with alarm that all three had blood on their clothing.  But no one appeared to be actively bleeding.  He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see they were alright.

            As soon as Uno was out of the car, One, his face expressionless, stepped forward and laid him out flat on the ground with a hard roundhouse right.

            “One!” Elton snapped.

            “He nearly got us killed, pulling our brother away like that in the middle of a battle,” One explained calmly.  He stepped past Uno, who lay on the ground rubbing his chin, and cupped the back of Adam’s neck, his eyes glowing.  The empath’s eyes closed in obvious relief, his hand clutching One’s arm.  One smiled.  “Welcome back, brother.”

            Dos hissed angrily and started around the car, but Five moved to block her path.  “She’s inside,” Five called.  “Why don’t you two go get her, and leave our brother alone for a while?”

            “Why don’t you help your brother first?” Elton suggested.  “He and One took quite a beating today, and the doc damned near exhausted himself healing.  I know you’re still injured, Doc, because you’re stiff when you walk, so don’t be giving me that dirty look!”

            Dos rolled her eyes, but she reached out one of her hands, putting it on the side of Five’s face.  “Looks like I’m healing everyone today.  I wonder what good are you, brother?”

            “Love you too, sister,” Five groaned, wincing as his injuries healed.  He pulled his tattered, bloodstained shirt free from his waistband and shook it, letting a scattering of bullets fall to the ground.

            “You need to learn to duck,” Uno grumbled, picking himself up from the ground and dusting off his suit.  “As do I, it seems.  There was no need to hit me, One!  We were protecting our target, and that takes precedence.  We needed the empath with us!”

            “You didn’t have to take him that far away from us, you fucking cock!” One snarled.  His face was flushed in anger.

            “N’importe quoi,” Uno sniffed, waving off his concern.  “Come inside, brother.”  He slipped his arm through One’s and led the younger telepath into the building.  Dos followed.

            “Isn’t it nice to feel wanted, buddy?” Blake asked Adam, hoping to relieve some of the tension.

            “You’re a dick,” Adam retorted.  “Honestly, this is going to be a serious headache.  I’ve already got a headache!  Elton, why the hell did you send Uno and Dos instead of my brothers?  Another fucking experiment?”

            “Yup!”  Elton made the final consonant pop.  “You knew this was coming, Seven.”

            “Yeah, I knew you were going to experiment, but not while I was protecting Blake!”

            “Why not?  No better time!”

            “You’re a maniac!  We got cut off in town and we could have both been killed!  I had all I could do to find Dos, and she had to bring us to Uno.  I could have gone right to One or Five!”

            “If you’re part of their trio, that won’t be a problem, will it?”

            “How many times do I have to tell you?” Adam’s face was flushed now as he yelled at Elton.  “I’ll participate in this stupid experiment because I don’t have a choice.  But I’m not letting anyone pull me out to reintegrate me into a new trio!  I’m staying right where I’m at!”

            “The doc and One are at 97% compatibility with each other,” Elton explained cheerfully.  “You’re only at 85% with the doc, and 88% with One.”

            “You know I’m still standing right here, right?” Five called.

            “But you’re 92% with Dos and 94% with Uno,” Elton continued, ignoring Five’s interruption.  “They pulled you in pretty quickly, didn’t they?”

            “I know the numbers too, Elton, and they’re only 90% with each other!  Besides, you know damned well that she’s incompatible with One.  If you take me out, my brothers won’t have an empath!  How the hell is that any kind of advantage?”

            “You know that Hardwire’s primary responsibility right now is to locate more empaths.  Murray and her team are working on that 24/7.  Meanwhile, we need to make certain that our most stable empath is with the best trio.  That’s what the testing is for, Seven!  It’s what experimentation is all about!”

            “What the hell is going on?” Blake exclaimed.  “You’re experimenting?  People died today!”

            “That’s what people do,” Elton retorted.  “Especially when they’re going after a priority target!”

            Adam blinked.  “You admit that you experimented with a priority target while he was under attack?”

            Elton waved his hand.  “I knew you could handle it, Seven.  You are, after all, our best empath.”

            “Oh, fuck you, Elton!  Blake, I’m going inside before I punch this asshole.”  And with that, Adam stormed into the house, slamming the door hard behind himself.

            “See what I mean about trust issues?” Elton said to Blake.

            “I don’t get you!  I thought you were alright at first, but you’re about a heartless bastard, aren’t you?”

            “It’s a job requirement.  I should properly introduce myself.”  Elton extended his hand.  “John Elton, Operations Project Leader.  Pleased to meet you.”

            Blake eyed the hand, sighed, and reluctantly shook it.  “I’m Blake Shelton, but you already know that.”

            “I did.  And you’re welcome, by the way.”

            “For?”

            “For bringing back your boyfriend,” Elton told him.  “That was my doing, bringing Seven back to ‘The Voice.’  You’re welcome!”  And with that, he turned and went back inside, leaving Blake sputtering.

            Blake rubbed his eyes, looked up, and spotted Five walking towards him.  He cringed.  “Hey, buddy,” he called.  “You upset about my running off?”

            “I was at first.”  Five’s voice was low.  He stood with his shoulders hunched and his hands shoved into his pockets.  “But I get why you did it.  After we integrated, I knew that my brother asked you to help us.  Can’t do that from a containment cell, can you?”

            Blake blinked.  “Yeah, you’ve got it exactly right!”

            “Dude, what can I say?  I love you like a brother, man.  But lose the goofy grin.  I don’t want Elton to know we’re getting along.”

            “Right.”  Blake wiped the smile off his face, looking serious again.  “Why not?”

            “He told you who he was.  And he told you he’s the one who got us on that show.  Hell, he drove us there himself.  But I don’t know that you understand exactly who he is.  He’s a Project Leader for the Company on Shard, one of three.  The second is Dr. Murray, the one who busted me when I was getting help from Hardwire last night.  And the third you’ve already met.  Unum.”

            Blake blinked.  “Elton’s the same rank as Unum?”

            “Yes, and those are the guys who are responsible for everything that goes on with Shard.  I hope, by now, you’ve figured out that you really can’t trust Elton.  All three of the Project Leaders are all about the science aspect of Shard, and all three are willing to go to damned near any length to reach their goals.  Unum actually deals with Shard itself.  Murray’s primarily about data collection, including physical experimentation.”

            “Physical experimentation?”

            “Probing, Blake.  She’s probed me any number of times.  She’d vivisect me if she thought it would enhance her knowledge database, and she’d do the same thing to you.  And Elton?  He’s in charge of Operations.  That means he’s in charge right now, while we’re out in the field.  And his big thing is psychology.  You heard that bullshit about experimenting to see who’s the most compatible with Seven?”

            “Yeah, what the hell?”

            Five rubbed at the back of his head.  “The truth is, Seven was originally meant to be Tres, not Seven.  After Six died and I got away, Breaker started over again with Uno and Dos.  He’d originally intended to integrate Seven into their trio.  But for whatever reason, once he got his hands on Adam Levine, he changed his mind.  Problem is, Uno and Dos know Seven was supposed to be their empath.  They went nearly a year without one until they got the one they have now.  But, well, there’s kind of a problem with her.”

            Blake didn’t like the sound of that.  “What kind of problem?”

            “I think it’s best if I just leave it at that, and let you see for yourself,” Five sighed.  “Just know that I love you, buddy, and I’m here for you.  Oh, and don’t try to pull me out for a while, ok?  Let me get my strength back.  Besides, we’re all three of us already down to 80% alignment, and that’s the lowest we go without outside influence.  As soon as we get back to LB1, it’s almost guaranteed that Unum will integrate us again, and after that, you’ll need that ace in the hole.”

            Blake sternly resisted the urge to hug Five.  “I love you too, buddy.  You know Adam didn’t know his own name?”

            “Doesn’t surprise me.  I’m betting One doesn’t know his, either, and he’s the one you need the most.”

            “Did you know Adam was integrated without being broken?”

            “Yeah.”  Five’s voice was flat, and he wouldn’t meet Blake’s eyes.  “That’s something you need to ask One about, though.  It’s his story to tell, but you’re not going to be able to force it out of him.  Seven doesn’t remember his name because he buried it himself along with some memories he wanted to protect.  But he trusts you.  For you, he’ll let himself open up, and then One might be able to get into them.  But be careful, Blake.  You won’t care much for what you find.”

            “Thanks for the advice.”  Blake hesitated, and then plunged ahead.  “Listen, I really need to make a phone call.  Is there somewhere I can go to use a payphone without getting shot at?”

            “Are you a complete moron?” Five exclaimed.  “You can’t tell anyone where you are!”

            “Which is why I want to use the payphone,” Blake retorted.  “I’m trying not to get tracked, especially since I just had an implanted tracer dug out of my arm with a knife!”

            Five eyed him.  “We seriously need to have the telepaths scan you.  As to a phone call, just go ahead and use your cell.  There’s a router hooked up in the cabin that will bounce the signal.  No one can trace you.  I’ll give you some privacy, but I need to tell you that Elton is keeping an eye on you.  You seem to have a bad habit of running off, and he’s been watching us this whole time.”

            “I’m not going anywhere!”

            “Of course not.  Because if you do, he’ll probably just shoot out your kneecap.  He’s a hell of a shot.”  Five clapped his hand on Blake’s bicep.  “Enjoy your call!”  He turned and headed into the house.

            Blake shook his head in disgust and moved so the car was between himself and the house.  He carefully put his phone back together and turned his back to the Project Leader to make his call.

            Alicia picked up on the first ring.  “Blake!  We’ve been worried sick!  It’s all over the news, a big explosion at your house!”

            Blake could hear Miley’s anxious cry of “Is he alright?” in the background.  “I’m fine,” he said.  “Tell Miley I’m alright.  I didn’t even know there was an explosion at my house.  I wasn’t in it.”

            “I’m so glad you’re ok!  You’re on speaker phone, by the way.”

            “Hi, Blake!” Miley’s voice called.  “I’m really glad you’re ok.  We were worried!”

            “I had some excitement, but I’m all alright.  I just don’t know what’s going to happen now.”  He lowered his voice.  “Alicia, what did you find out about Gareth Parland?”

            “Miley’s sending you some files now.  Blake, it’s One.  Gareth Parland is apparently One’s real name.  He was supposed to marry another singer named Cecelia Serrano when he disappeared four years ago.  And he really did sing for the Pope!  He and his fiancée sang ‘The Prayer’ at a big benefit concert the Pope attended, at his request.  For the record, Seven was not exaggerating.  One’s voice is amazing, this deep, rich operatic baritone!  But he never made it to his wedding, and a few months later, Cecelia disappeared, too.  She took losing him real hard, Blake, and I guess she was suicidal.  No one ever found out what happened to Gareth, but the going theory is that she wandered off somewhere and killed herself.”

            Blake’s stomach lurched.  “That’s awful!”

            “Well, I should amend that,” Alicia corrected.  “No one ever found out what happened to Gareth until now.  Since the first blinds episode aired, One’s been recognized as Gareth Parland, and the internet has gone insane.  There’s all kinds of information popping up about both Gareth Parland and Matt Mellon, as well as Adam.  There’s footage from the recording studio’s cameras of Matt Mellon, you know, Five, being dragged into a van by someone who looks a lot like Breaker.  And there was a witness to someone matching Breaker’s description kidnapping Gareth in England.  There’s speculation that Breaker may have been involved in over a dozen unsolved disappearances all over the world.  And now all three are together on ‘The Voice’ calling themselves by non-sequential numbers?  People are losing their minds!”

            “I read that Interpol wants to question all three of them!” Miley added.  “But that’s who Gareth Parland is, Blake.  It’s One!”

            “Nevaeh was telling us One’s real name,” Blake mused.  “Not sure if he remembers that or not.  How did One react when he said it?”

            “That’s the thing,” Miley said.  “One didn’t react.  At all.  I don’t think he recognized the name, Blake.”

            Blake considered this.  “Five did say that One didn’t remember much about who he used to be anymore.  And he doesn’t think he remembers his other name, either, and that’s a problem.  Five says we need to pull One out of integration the most.  Makes sense, he’s the center of the trio.”

            “But if One doesn’t recognize his own name, why would Neveah tell it to us?”

            “Because it’s a link to his other name,” Blake realized.  “Alicia, I need you and Miley to dig as hard into Gareth’s past as you possibly can, and get me everything you can get your hands on.  If he’s a big internet mystery now, that should be easier, right?”

            “Blake, I don’t care how many times Adam called you stupid,” Alicia said with obvious admiration.  “You are anything but!  Miley’s already on the computer.  We’ll send you everything we can.  Did Adam tell you his name?”

            “He doesn’t know it,” Blake grumbled.  “I need One to poke around in his head and find it.  And to do that, I need to get him to trust me.”

            “Or pull One out first,” Alicia suggested.  “If you can find his name, maybe he’ll find Adam’s for you…”

            “…And then I can pull all three of them out at the same time,” Blake agreed.  “That’s the plan.  It’s precisely what Adam asked me to do, before the field dropped and he went back to being Seven and started integrating again.”

            “Do what you can for them, Blake, but listen.  You are dealing with some very very dangerous people, and from what the brothers told you, you’re the one they’re after.”

            “And I still don’t know why!  But there is one thing, Alicia.  I almost got kidnapped today…”

            _“Blake!”_

            “I’m alright.  They tied me up and threw me in a jeep, but I got some help.  The thing is, one of them called me ‘Breaker.’”

            Alicia went quiet, but Miley gasped.  “Breaker?  The guy who took all three of the brothers?  They called you _that?”_

            “They did, and I’m going to try to find out why,” Blake declared.  “But I’m only now starting to realize just how big all this really is.  Adam and I got cut off from the others for a bit there, and Adam took on over a dozen armed men alone, armed only with some broken glass, a knife and a motorcycle helmet, with a bullet in his kidney.  He’s fine,” he explained over the shocked cries of the two women.  “Apparently, these guys are built tough.  They’re…  It’s unbelievable, what they can do!  The things I saw Adam do today?  That’s worth killing for, worth destroying people’s lives for!  These guys could take on an army, take over a small country, or wipe out a terrorist cell!  And today I met another Shard trio, or at least a Shard duo.  But I suspect their third member is here right now, and apparently Breaker’s the one who integrated them, too.  Girls, I got no idea how many of these trios are out there.  But the Company won’t stop.  The trios are too powerful, two valuable.  This Company is going to keep going.  I suspect the only thing that’s holding them back is that empaths are so rare.”

            “Empaths like Adam?”

            “Especially empaths like Adam!  I don’t know what’s wrong with the empath they’ve got, but this new trio?  I think if they could throw Adam over their shoulder and take off with him, they would.  One actually punched Uno, the other telepath, in the face because he pulled Adam away during a fight.”

            “Does that mean Adam’s in danger from this other trio?”

            “I’m not sure,” Blake said slowly.  “But I know I’m going to keep an eye on him.  Bottom line is, this Company needs stopped.  And right now, we’re the only ones who have any chance, however slim, of doing it.  So keep digging, ladies, alright?  I’ll be in touch.”

            “Be careful, Blake.”

            “Blake, please do be careful!”

            “I will.  Talk to you later, and I’ll check those files as soon as I can, but I gotta go.  Bye.”  Blake hung up and turned, his eyes on Elton as the man approached.  Blake had heard the crunch of gravel beneath the man’s boots, alerting him that the Project Leader was approaching.

            “Sorry to cut your conversation short,” Elton said, “but we need you inside.  It’s time we started the debriefing.”

            “Sure.”  Blake pocketed his phone.  He’d have to check the files later.

            “Shelton, I’ve got a favor to ask of you at a later date.”

            Blake raised an eyebrow.  “And why would I do you any sort of favor?”

            “Because I’ll give you what you want in return.”

            “What I want?  What would that be?”

            “Straight answers to your questions,” Elton declared.  “It’s time you were brought on board.  But that’s later.  Right now, we need to head in.”

            Blake looked coolly at Elton.  “So you picked up the chi element from Shard too, huh?  That’s why you got up with a sucking chest wound?”

            “Damn, you’re smarter than you look!”

            “I get that a lot.  So it’s true?”

            In answer, Elton jabbed a finger into his own eye and removed the contact lens, revealing a bright green, softly glowing eye.  “I’m prettier with my natural hazel,” he explained, putting the contact lens into a case he produced from one of his many pouches.  “That’s why I usually wear the contacts.  But yeah.  I had Unum expose me to the chi element of Shard, just enough to enhance my physical toughness.  And for what it’s worth, Dr. Murray went for the empathy.  None of us had any psionics prior, so we didn’t integrate or anything.  End result, I’m a bit stronger than normal, and a lot tougher, but can’t hold a candle to those guys and girls inside.  Murray, she’s just sort of fucked in the head.  Empathy’s weird.  She can sense emotions, and mess with the emotions of other people to a degree, but it’s like she doesn’t have any of her own.  Well, except for one, but let’s not get into that.”

            “Why are your eyes glowing?  You using your powers?”

            “Nah, they glow all the time.  We’re all like that, we Project Leaders.  Why do you think Unum always wears dark glasses?”  He’d finished removing his contact lenses.  Now he pocketed the lens case and the travel bottle of saline he’d used and took Blake’s shoulder.  “In we go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The voice I hear in my head for One's singing voice is Josh Groban.


	23. Dual Trios

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake meets the empath of Uno and Dos's trio, and quickly discovers why there's a problem. He's unprepared for the effect she has on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More translations (French and Spanish this time):  
> Ne vous inquiétez pas - don't worry  
> Dame el cuchillo - give me the knife  
> merci frère - thank you brother  
> Oui, bien sur - yes, of course

            Blake followed Elton into the building.  One and Uno had apparently resolved their differences.  The two telepaths were at a table, bent together over a laptop, chatting away in French.  Uno, standing, actually had his arm partway around One, his hand on the younger man’s far shoulder as One sat and typed rapidly.

            Five and Dos, it appeared, had more than resolved their differences.  Dos was perched on the arm of the recliner where Five rested, her arms slung loosely around the other chi’s neck and her long legs draped across his.  Five had one arm around her waist, while his free hand rested casually on her muscular thigh, just a bit too high to be called her knee.  The two were listening and contributing to the conversation, but their eyes locked repeatedly.  The looks the two were exchanging made it clear to Blake that they’d eventually find an excuse to wander off alone.  “Damn, Five, you’re a beast!” Blake groaned.  “If she’s your sister, isn’t that, like, incest?”

            That earned him a blistering look from Five and Dos.

            Elton poked Blake.  “Word to the wise.  Don’t cockblock a couple of people who can literally snap you in two.”

            Blake decided this was sage advice.  He amused himself with the thought of what two super strong lovers in the throes of passion might do to furniture and suppressed a grin.

            Uno grimaced.  “Honestly, Mr. Shelton!  Do please reign in your imagination?”

            “That was a bit much, Blake,” One agreed.  "An image we could have certainly done without."

            Blake scowled.  “Stay out of my head!  It’s not my fault you’re telepaths!”

            “That image was quite loud, mon amie,” Uno sighed.  He shook his head, turned back to One, and started speaking again to him in French, apparently taking up their conversation where it left off.

            Adam was sitting on the center cushion of a sofa, motioning for Blake to join him.  His left arm was around the shoulders of a young woman, who was currently snuggling against his side with her head on his shoulder and her arms cinched tightly around him.  She was dressed all in red, a long sleeved, high necked formal gown that fell in long folds to her ankles, a jeweled red band in her black hair, and red stockings that disappeared inside of, oddly enough, red combat boots with red sequin accents.  They looked like something a little girl would make with a bedazzle kit.  She was also apparently fond of red rubies.  They glittered from the band in her hair, her earrings, the pendant at her throat, and a ring on her right hand.

            But it was the woman herself that drew Blake’s attention.  She would have drawn the attention of any heterosexual man in the room.  Her black hair hung in long, flowing waves to her shoulders.  Bright green eyes framed by long lashes and perfectly arched eyebrows looked intently at Blake.  She wore no make-up, yet her lips were full, as ruby-red as her outfit, and slightly parted, looking ready to kiss.  As Blake gawked, she untangled herself from Adam and rose, revealing full breasts and hips that swayed sensually as she came towards Blake.  She looked a bit like a young version of Catherine Zeta-Jones, but not even the lovely actress could have matched the sheer sensuality of this young woman.  Blake couldn’t take his eyes off of her, even with Adam right in the room.

            Elton sucked in his breath.  “Uh, guys?”

            “Ne vous inquiétez pas,” Uno called.  “Baby sister is only saying hello.”

            The woman was in Blake’s personal space now.  She was only about five foot three, but she was looking up at him with a look in her eyes that made his knees feel weak.  He froze as her arms rose, draping around his neck, one hand cupping the back of Blake’s head.  Not sure what to do, Blake let her pull his head down.

            He was completely unprepared when she rose to the toes of her sparkling red combat boots, tightened her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his.

            That she was an empath, Blake had already guessed.  But it was obvious now as, once more, he found himself in an empathic loop.  Blake’s surprise and confusion met with interest and desire beneath a sweet, innocent, almost childlike love.  Blake felt like he was kissing his high school sweetheart for the first time.  Before he knew it, his arms were around the lovely creature, the soft fullness of her breasts pressing against his chest, her body surrendering into his embrace.  He could feel her pleasure spike, desire rising more as her kiss deepened, her tongue sliding into Blake’s mouth.

            But then the loop was suddenly broken.  Blake’s eyes opened in surprise, suddenly ashamed to be making out right in front of the man he loved with a woman half his age.  _What the hell was he doing?_   He quickly pulled back, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.  The woman gasped, pulling away from Blake to whirl angrily on Adam.

            “That,” Adam declared, frowning at her and narrowing his glowing eyes, “was not hello!”

            She hissed at Adam like a cat.  Then, quick as a flash, she lunged at him, bringing something hidden in the folds of her elaborate dress up.  It flashed metallic as it plunged into Adam’s shoulder.

            “Son of a bitch!” Five yelled as Adam yelped in pain and Uno raced to grab the woman.  “That is the second time she has stabbed him since he walked in the door!”

            “Don’t be so dramatic,” Dos scolded.  She’d been all but dumped on the floor when Five jumped up, and looked quite irritated about it, glowering at him as Five ran over to heal Adam.  “She slashed his face when he walked in, but this is only the first time she stabbed him.  There’s a difference.”

            “She tried to shove a dagger through his eye back on LB1!” Five pointed out.

            “Oh, hold a grudge!”  She stood in front of the woman, who was squirming in Uno’s arms, and shook her finger.  “That is very naughty!  We told you, do not knife Seven, he is on our side!”

            Five was making Adam move his shoulder, checking that his wound was healed.  Satisfied, he turned to the other trio, a frown of disapproval on his face.  “Once again, I would like to respectfully suggest we disarm her?  Seven is going to look like a sieve if this keeps up.”

            “Fine,” Uno grumbled.  “Alright, sister.  Dame el cuchillo!  There’s a good girl.”

            Blake blinked, dazed.  “What the hell just happened?”

            “Blake, meet Three,” Adam sighed, going back to the sofa.

            “Three, not Tres?”

            “Ironic that she’s a native Spanish speaker with an English number, but she was initially integrated to me,” One explained.  He hadn’t moved from the laptop or stopped typing throughout the entire incident.  “She’s the first empath the Company, and subsequently Breaker, found.”

            “Wait, the one who went insane?” Blake asked in disbelief.  "They integrated a crazy woman into a Shard trio?"

            “Unfortunately correct.  Perhaps Elton can explain why, as I’m sure we would _all_ like to hear the reason?”

            “That was Unum’s idea, not mine,” Elton defended as all eyes turned to him.  “I was all for it, but it wasn’t my idea.  When we rescued Adam Levine, we discovered Uno and Dos chained up in his base and rescued them, too.  But we didn’t have another empath to team them up with.  And recently, that became a problem, because certain recent developments meant we needed as many enhanced psionic operatives on this project as we could get.  So Unum came up with the idea of integrating them with Three, hoping that it would stabilize her enough that the trio could be used in the field.  And it worked!  Obviously, there are still problems…”

            “Do you think?” Five exclaimed, returning to his chair and pulling Dos back into his lap with an apologetic kiss.

            “…But really, she’s just a sort of placeholder.  Meanwhile, we can get Uno and Dos some real field experience while we test Dr. Murray’s theory about their compatibility with Seven.  Really, it’s an ideal solution all around!”

            Blake looked at him, seeing his expression mirrored all over the room.  “A placeholder?  And what, exactly, is ideal about all this?”

            “Ok, maybe it’s not ideal, but at least it gives us a way to get our second Shard trio into the field until another empath turns up.”

            “When are we getting Seven again?” Uno wanted to know.

            “He needs to stay with his original trio for now.  He’s way out of alignment.  All three of them are!”

            “So let us have him!” Dos urged.  “If he’s already out of alignment with them, let us take him for a bit longer.  We could have him tonight until…”

            “Would you please just leave me alone?” Adam exclaimed.  “Please!  Stop fighting over me!  My headache is bad enough, alright?”  To Blake’s amazement, he’d waved Three back over again and she’d climbed eagerly into his lap, turning sideways to rest her head on the shoulder she’d just stabbed while she sucked on her thumb.  He had his arms around her again and was gently rocking her.  Her dark eyes were fixed on Blake.

            “I get it, babe, I do,” Five assured Dos, planting a kiss on her cheek.  “Trust me, no one knows what it’s like to not have an empath more than me and One.  We understand completely why you want Seven, but you can’t just take him away from us, ok?  We need him, too!”

            “So we’re stuck with insanity, while you carry on,” Uno growled.

            “Not our fault, mate,” One defended.  “Wasn’t our idea to stick you with a madwoman, was it?”

            “What the hell is wrong with you people?” Blake exclaimed.  “She is sitting right there, hearing every word you say!”

            “Seriously, she’s mute, not deaf,” Adam agreed.  “And it can’t be that bad!  I’m amazed at how different she is now that she’s with you two.  The last time I saw her, she wasn’t continent, she couldn’t feed herself…”

            “Trust me, it’s that bad,” Uno sighed.  “Impulse control is a problem, and emotional state is a real problem!  Do you not understand that half the reason we’re so desperate is because she’s not able to balance our emotions?”  He took in a deep breath, relief spreading over his features.  “Ah, merci frère!”

            “Should have said something before,” Adam grumbled.  “I could have helped a long time ago!”

            “We get used to it, I suppose,” Uno sighed.  “Don’t realize the problem is happening again.  This is why we need you, Seven.”

            “Do you suppose we could get back to this debriefing?” One called.

            “Oui, bien sur.”

            And once again, the entire conversation around Blake was in French.  Blake sat down on the couch next to Adam and stewed.  When Elton sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Blake, Blake leaned towards him.  “Why the hell do I have to be here?” he said quietly.  “You insist I come in for this, and then everyone speaks French!”

            “I’m still waiting for confirmation of your status,” Elton explained unhelpfully.  “Until I get it, you can’t really be involved in the briefing, but we still need you where we can keep an eye on you.”

            “Lovely.”  Blake’s face looked like a car accident.  He always wondered if people were making fun of him when they spoke a language he couldn’t understand around him.

            “Hey, Blake, did you notice that psionics have a type?” Elton asked.  “Take the empaths, for instance.  Six was this German girl, and she looked like a living Barbie doll!  We’ve only found three, mind you, but so far they’re all beautiful girls or pretty boys.  I mean, look at those two next to you!  Then the chis are all athletic, outdoor types, and the telepaths are all well-dressed prim and proper types.  And I mean all of them!  All the males are pressed creases and ties and perfect hair, and all the females are power suits or proper skirts and perfect make-up.  Trust me, I’ve seen enough to be sure.  We burned through over half a dozen telepaths until Breaker figured out what to do, and they were all…”

            “Elton!” Blake snapped.  He jerked his head towards the two telepaths, who had stopped their debriefing and were staring at Elton.

            “Um, right, sorry,” Elton said, looking a bit embarrassed.  “Carry on.”

            One and Uno exchanged a glance.  Then they returned to their debriefing.

            “Anyway,” Elton said quietly to Blake, “my point is that you can narrow the field down a bit.  There are over six billion people in the world, and we’ve already done a global sweep.  Now we’re digging deeper.  It helps that they all have those characteristics.  They’re also all musically inclined.  So far, every one of our psionics can sing and play an instrument or two, and very well!  Now obviously, you can have those traits and not be a psionic, but all of the psionics have them.”

            “Is a death wish an empathic trait?” Blake asked, looking at Adam.  “She knifed you twice and you’re letting her nod off on your lap!”

            “She needs me,” Adam replied.  “Uno can keep her pretty stable, as long as he makes sure she takes her meds.  But I can keep her content.”  He rubbed her back.  “I tried to reach her, back about a month or so after I was integrated when I found out about her.  But it’s extremely hard for me to affect another empath.  Add the fact she was literally a drooling maniac, racing around and bouncing off the padded walls in her cell?  I couldn’t get near her.  All I did was upset her and she’d try to attack me.”

            “I’m seeing a pattern.  Why does she keep stabbing you?”

            “It’s Unum,” Adam explained.  “She adores Unum, and she knows he doesn’t want her, that he prefers me.  Her mind is pretty much completely shattered, and she acts like a child because she kind of is.  And that includes a childlike lack of impulse control.  As you may have noticed, that bleeds into her trio, and that’s a problem, but I still think they could learn to deal with it if they weren’t so damned determined to get me!”  He sighed.  “No one wants her, Blake, except for me.  They’re nice enough to her, usually treat her pretty well.  She’s our sister, and despite everything, we all look out for her.  But I’m the only one who even tries to reach her anymore!  I don’t have to use my powers because she can sense it.  All I do is let her know I care.”

            “Seven!” One called irritably.  “Would you like to participate in this debriefing?  We need your input here, brother, if you could be bothered to stop chatting with Blake long enough to provide it?”

            Adam flushed.  Then he too began to speak in French.

            Blake looked at Three.  Her eyes were rapidly closing in sleep.  She looked like a Spanish angel.  Blake thought about what Adam had said about how no one wanted her, and had to swallow around a lump in his throat.  Three looked about the same age as One, and had gone through the same trauma.  Little wonder she’d gone crazy.  It was more surprising that any of them had come through the experience with an intact mind.  Blake’s heart went out to Three.  He smiled at her when her eyes blinked open and looked at him, but she frowned.

            “Careful,” Elton warned, his voice low to avoid being heard by the others.  “It’s hard sometimes not to pity her, but that really pisses her off.  Pissing her off is generally not conducive to good health.  You may have noticed she’s really quick with those knives.”

            “Oh.”  Blake tried to project cheerfulness at the female empath.  Her eyes closed again, and she snuggled in against Adam’s chest.  One hand gripped at Adam’s shirt.  The other kept her thumb in her mouth.

            “Honestly, One’s probably got the best idea,” Elton advised.  “The best thing to do is not get her attention.  Although it seems like you’ve already got her attention!  Normally she hugs new people to say hello.  I’ve never seen her make out like that with anyone except Unum!  Looks like Uno may have some competition tonight.”

            Blake shot him a look.  “Please don’t tell me you’re saying he sleeps with her?”

            “They all three sleep together, both trios do!  But I assume you mean sex, not sleep,” Elton replied smugly.  “Yes, Uno has sex with her fairly regularly.  He’s the one who keeps her stable, and I think she’s thanking him.  Oh, don’t give me that look, crazy people need love, too!”

            “There is a real question of consent here, don’t you think?” Blake urged.

            “He’s integrated with her, Blake!  Honestly, he makes all her decisions because he’s the only one who can.  But if it makes you feel any better, I did have the same concern initially.  But Seven says she’s initiating it, that she seems honestly attracted to Uno and certainly grateful.  Did you notice that her eyes were green when you came in?  As soon as she sees Uno, she starts thinking about sex, and then she starts amping up the sexy vibes.  What the hell do you think got the chis all hot and bothered?  She puts Five and Dos together on a regular basis.  Hell, she’ll put anyone together if they’re even remotely attracted to each other.  She’s a regular cupid!”

            Blake blinked at Three in surprise.  “Well, I suppose she is dressed all in red?”

            “She even got me in bed with my ex, and I swore I’d never do that again!  So yes, there is a potential consent issue concerning Three, but you’re looking at it from the wrong angle.  No one can fan the flames of desire like an empath.”  He gave Blake a grin and waggled his eyebrows.  “Don’t be surprised if you wake up tonight and discover Three, Seven, or both of them in bed with you.  You go both ways, right?”

            Blake blushed.  “Only ever wanted one man.”

            “Well, that man’s the one I’m talking about, buddy.  You down for a threesome with the two hottest people in the house?  Hell, I’d even do that, and I’m not into guys!  Two empaths, you the man!”

            Blake squirmed.  “Kind of making me a bit uncomfortable, Elton.  For God’s sake, they’re sitting right there!”

            “We’re talking quiet, she’s napping, and he’s talking about how he was fighting Terra in that town to protect you,” Elton said.  “I’m a scientist, Blake, and a certified genius.  I’m perfectly capable of listening to two conversations in two different languages at the same time.  Anyway, I gotta tell you, I envy you, buddy.  Three is sex on legs, hottest honey I’ve seen in years!  She ever showed up in my bed, I guarantee I’d hit that.  So if she shows up in yours, go for it, man!  But unless and until then, don’t get involved with her, and once you do your business, send her back out to her trio.  She’s not the greatest for pillow talk anyway.”

            Blake grimaced.  “If she does show up, maybe I’ll just steer her towards One?  He could use…”

            “Don’t.”  Elton had an odd expression on his face.  “Bad idea.  She and Two were integrated with him, the first Shard trio.  But she was already unstable after what Breaker put her through, and her mind and One’s started clashing from the moment she was integrated with him.  Every time they’d integrate, it would get worse.  One was going out of his mind.  That’s why Unum finally tore him completely out of the trio.  Two, the chi, didn’t survive it.  Three’s mind broke completely.  In a way, it’s good that it happened.  That’s how we learned that we can’t just shove our enhanced psionic operatives together into trios willy-nilly.  We have to watch that they’re compatible, and that’s what’s happening now, with Seven.”  He paused.  “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Shelton!  We’re scientists, and we learn as we go.”

            “Does she know that she used to be with One?”

            “Of course she knows.  They both know, Three and One.  And if you watch, you won’t see them look at each other half a dozen times.  It’s why One takes such pains to ignore her.  It wasn’t his fault, but he still feels guilty about what happened to her.”

            “And yet she stabs Adam?”

            “For Unum.  Otherwise, she likes Seven.  Sure, she stabs him, but she flat-out hates One, and any time he gets her attention, well, that’s the only time she ever talks, and it’s not a good thing. So don’t try to play matchmaker with them, ok?  Speaking of matchmaking, if Three does come to your bed tonight and you don’t want her, first of all you’re a fucking idiot.  But just call Uno.  He’ll take one for the team.  And I’ve no doubt that the chis are going to be at it like minks again.  They’ve been in each other’s pants pretty much since Unum created the beta trio and introduced them all back on LB1.”  He shook his head.  “Holy shit, this place is going to be like a Mexican bordello tonight!  And me and my sexy self won’t have anything but Momma Thumb and her four lovely daughters for company.  One will just put his headphones in and play on his phone because Seven will shield him.  His brothers spoil him rotten!  Me, I’m going to have hair on my palms!”

            Blake’s eyes went to Adam.  Adam was in the middle of what seemed like a question and answer session with the telepaths.  Blake let his mind wander.  If Three did come to him, he had every intention of calling Uno.  Seeing her knife Adam was a huge turn-off, no matter how beautiful she was.  But what if Adam came to his bed tonight?  He’d said it was difficult for him to affect another empath.  But what if Three could?  What Elton had said about Three’s influence creating a question of consent bothered Blake greatly, especially when Adam had confessed to being confused about how he felt concerning Blake and Unum.  But Blake couldn’t help but think about what might happen if Adam came to his room, to his bed.  He remembered how their shared desire had resonated with Adam’s empathy and his cock took an immediate interest.  _Dammit!_ He told himself silently.  _Do not get an erection in a room full of people, especially with two telepaths who would know immediately exactly what is going through your head!_   He took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself.  Even if Adam did come to him, if it was under Three’s influence, that meant it wasn’t entirely willing.  And Adam had enough of that with Unum while he was deep in his integration.  He, Blake, would not touch him, wouldn’t pressure him, until he was sure that it was what Adam wanted.  He wanted Adam to come to him because Adam wanted to be with him, not because he was under any sort of outside influence.  He loved Adam too much for anything less.

            Adam reached over and took his hand.  Blake looked over to see identical knowing smiles on the faces of both empaths.  He blushed.  “Damned empaths!  No privacy with you two around!”

            Adam winked, and Three giggled around her thumb.  Blake only sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jackatlast1996, **GOLD STAR** for calling that the empath with the new trio was the crazy one!
> 
> Song I used for this section, and main theme for Three, is "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMann  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrMLMV6E4CM


	24. The Power of Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three may be insane, but she's a powerful empath, something Blake is quick to discover the hard way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but, I think, long overdue!
> 
> More diegetic music! This is how I imagine Dos's singing voice, and this is the song she is singing here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynBrk4awBE4

            After a time, the group finally finished with their debriefing.  They scattered through the house to the showers.   Blake had nodded off shortly before their discussion ended, bored by a conversation he couldn’t understand. 

            He awakened to the sound of a beautiful contralto voice singing softly in French.  He recognized the song as “Beyond The Sea” and would have hit his button to that voice in an instant. 

            He opened his eyes to see Dos.  Her ebony skin was freshly scrubbed and glowed in the lamplight, and her elaborate braids were caught in a turban made of a thick fluffy towel.  She wore a light tank top and short sleeping shorts that showed off her muscular arms and legs.  It would have been a lovely sight if it weren’t for the scars that covered most of her exposed skin.  Like the others, Dos had been wearing long sleeves and full pants.  Now, in private, she was opting for comfortable sleepwear.  She stood behind a chair with a brush in her hand and a hair tie around one wrist, singing to Three as she braided the empath’s hair.

            Three also appeared freshly showered.  Her dark eyes were soft, and she sat very still while Dos worked on her hair, pulling it into a braid as she continued to sing.  Three’s lips moved, mouthing the words to Dos’s song.  She was dressed, of course, in red, this time a low cut slip nightgown that displayed enough cleavage to make it very clear she was a voluptuous woman, despite her childlike behavior.  Her ruby hairband, earrings, and pendant were off, but her ring remained.  She twisted it on her finger as Dos worked at her hair.  Her bare feet were on the floor, red-painted toes curling in pleasure.  Blake saw the scars on her exposed skin and winced.  Breaker’s name was partially visible near her left collarbone, peeking around the spaghetti strap of Three’s nightgown.

            Five was nearby, perched on the arm of the chair he’d been sitting in earlier.  He rubbed absently at his damp hair with a towel, his attention fixed on Dos.  He wore only a pair of sleeping shorts, and the scars on his chest, including Breaker’s name, were clearly visible.  Blake couldn’t help but think of Adam.  The mass of scars on Five’s chest weren’t as bad as Adam’s, but Adam had gone through twice as long in Breaker’s power.  Still, it was a horrific sight.  Blake tore his eyes away, not wanting Five to catch him staring.  The last thing he wanted was to make any of them feel self-conscious.  _They’re comfortable enough around you that they don’t feel they have to hide their scars,_ Blake reminded himself.  _Don’t do anything stupid to change that._

            Blake tore his eyes away, looking again at Dos.  “You’ve got a beautiful voice, Dos,” Blake complimented.

            She smiled, finishing her song.  “Thank you.  That means a lot, coming from you.”

            “Did you sing professionally?”

            “Yes, and no,” she said.  “In my home town in Nigeria, I worked as a paramedic.  But on my own time, I sang and played bass in a jazz band.”

            “Ooo, jazz!”  Blake grinned at Five, who still had yet to take his eyes from Dos.  “I guess you two have a lot in common, then.”

            “Oh, we do,” Five agreed.  “We hit it off pretty much as soon as her trio was integrated and we were introduced.”

            “It’s a personal failing of mine,” Dos confessed.  “I always seem to fall in with the wrong man.”

            Five winked.

            “Well, I agree that you have crummy taste in men, but your voice is fantastic, Dos.  It’s rich, it’s full, it’s pitch perfect, and I don’t hear many good contraltos.  I’d have fought to have you on my team,” Blake confessed.

            “Yeah, you’d have fought me!” Five challenged.  “And I’d have kicked your sorry ass!”

            Blake snorted.  “You’d have tried!”

            “Bring it, Shelton!”  Five rose, rolled his towel, and snapped it at Blake, who yelped and raised his arms to defend himself.  “There’s a shower open on the second floor, third door to the right.  I suggest you use it.  You smell like sweat, gunpowder, and some serious funk.”

            “Alright, alright!  I got nothing to change into, though.”

            “Elton left you some clothes in your size in your bedroom, which is right next to that bathroom.  It’s a Company uniform, probably.  Sorry about that.  Towels are in the closet across from the bathroom.  Now beat it, Shelton.  The grown-ups are talking.”  Five grinned, turned his back to Blake and moved towards Dos, who had finished securing Three’s braid.  Blake couldn't keep himself from wincing at the scars on Five’s back.  Blake’s heart was pounding at the signs of torture on all three people in the room.  He was glad no one noticed his involuntary reaction.

            But Dos didn’t seem to care.  Her dark eyes were bright as she looked at Five.  She snatched the towel out of Five’s hands, rolled it again, looped it around his neck and used it to pull him closer.  His smile broadened.  He pulled the towel turban off of her head, freeing her braids to fall down her back.  “You’ll get my shirt wet, you stupid man!” she protested.

            “It’ll dry.”  Five leaned in to kiss her.

            Blake chuckled and shook his head.  Then he noticed Three.  She was sitting in her chair, playing now with the end of her braid.  Her eyes glowed green, and Five and Dos’s kisses became more heated.  But Three’s eyes were fixed on Blake.  She gave him a smile.  Then she raised one slender, scar covered arm and pointed.

            Confused, Blake rose and headed where she’d pointed.  He found himself in a short hall with three doors, two opened and one closed.  The door at the end of the hall, right where Three had pointed, was closed.  From behind the door, Blake could hear the sound of a shower.

            Suddenly, Blake knew exactly who was showering behind that door.

            Blake whirled, his eyes wide as he turned back towards Three.  Her glowing eyes were still watching him.  With an effort, he forced himself back out into the living area and faced her, noting that Five and Dos had gone.  “Not cool, sweetheart,” he scolded through a mouth that was suddenly devoid of saliva.  “You can’t just play games with people like that, alright?”

            She only watched him, still smiling.  Her eyes moved and her head slowly tilted, looking pointedly behind him.  Blake heard some unmistakable sounds from the next room where she was looking and grimaced.  He was fairly certain that Five was in deep, and equally certain that he and Dos were in the kitchen.  “Oh, that is just wrong!”  He groaned.  He made a mental note to make sure to insist the two wiped everything down before breakfast in the morning.

            But right now, he had other concerns.

            Three had risen from her chair and approached Blake, her eyes still filled with green light.  She reached up her hand to stroke Blake’s face.  Instantly, Blake’s desire rose, lust threatening to blot out all sense.  He moaned.  He clutched at her hand, meaning to pull it away.  But instead, he found himself gripping it, turning his face to kiss her palm.  He gasped, eyes wide, and somehow managed to take a step back.  “Enough!  Stop this, Three!”

            But she only stepped forward with him, keeping her hand on his cheek.  It was all he could do not to grab Three, carry her into the dark kitchen, and put her down right next to Dos.  But her hand gently pressed on his cheek, turning his face towards the hall until he was facing the door to the downstairs shower.

            Another surge of lust made him moan out loud.  Before he knew it, he was back at the door and through it, pulling it closed behind him as he shucked his clothing.  The bathroom was full of steam, nearly obscuring Adam’s confused face as he peeked out from behind the curtain to see who had come in.  “Hey, I’m in here!  What…?”  He saw Blake, and his hazel eyes grew wide as he registered what Blake was feeling.  “Oh.”

            Blake pushed past the curtain and took Adam in his arms, crushing his mouth against Adam’s, pressing the smaller man up against the tiles at the rear of the shower.  Adam was quick to return Blake’s kisses.  The water steamed over them, shampoo dripping from Adam’s hair as Blake sank his hands into it.  “I need you!” Blake moaned.

            “I know.”

            Exercising all the will he had, Blake tore himself away.  He still had Adam pressed against the wall, but that was a good thing.  He held the confused empath away while he panted and shook.  “It’s Three,” he moaned.  “She’s…  Oh baby, I don’t want to force anything on you!”

            “You’re not.  I figured out what was going on pretty quick.  We can’t affect each other easily, but we can certainly tell when one of us has affected someone else.  Little sister is very good at this!”  He smiled.  “You seriously stink, Shelton.  And you’ve got dried blood on your arm still.  Let’s get you cleaned up while you’re in here, huh?”

            “Hawha?”  Blake didn’t have enough blood left in his brain to register what was being said.

            In answer, Adam reached for the shampoo, dumped some into his hand, and began to soap Blake’s hair, massaging into his scalp.  He pressed his body against Blake’s as he worked the shampoo through Blake’s curls, his face raised in an invitation that Blake had no more strength to resist.  He reclaimed Adam’s mouth, pulling them both under the spray of water for a rinse even as they exchanged kiss after kiss, gasping as much for each other as for breath. 

            Dimly, Blake was aware that Three’s influence over him was gradually retreating, even as Adam’s eyes once more began to glow.  It was back, that empathic loop.  It should have been ridiculous, the two of them making out like this in the shower while water and shampoo ran down their faces.  But somehow, it wasn’t.  Because they could both feel it, the longing for each other.  Blake could feel a twinge of guilt in Adam.  He was cheating on his boyfriend, after all, and Blake tried to prepare himself for rejection.  But Adam clung to him, struggling with his conflicting emotions, and eventually, his love and desire for Blake won out.

            Adam had chosen Blake!

            Blake gave a little cry of joy, kissing Adam again and holding him close, his tears lost in the spray of water.

            It was the best shower Blake had ever taken.  Their hands were everywhere, rubbing, scrubbing, and caressing, soap and wet kisses covering their skin.  And then Adam made a discovery.  Blake moaned, looking down at Adam as he went to his knees.  Adam’s hands gently gripped Blake’s ass, his tongue working up and down Blake’s shaft, tracing the vein and licking gently at the slit.  Blake’s knees nearly buckled.  He leaned back against the wall of the shower and panted, watching as Adam wrapped his lips around Blake’s penis, pulling his head back until his mouth came off the end with a slight pop.  His tongue shot out again, wrapping around Blake’s glans and pulling it gently back into his mouth.  Adam moved his head forward, his eyes locked on Blake’s as he drew him in, swallowing when Blake’s tip went into his throat.  One hand moved to cup and gently caress Blake’s testicles.  The other slid down the crevice of Blake’s ass to his opening, one soapy finger gently working inside, moving further in even as Adam’s mouth drew back, sliding back towards his glans and working it with his tongue.  Then he took Blake’s full length again just as his finger brushed that magical place inside of Blake that made pleasure spike.  Again and again he alternated, humming gently, relentless with his administrations until Blake was crying out and clinging to the walls for support.  “Oh fuck, oh baby, I’m not gonna last!”

            Adam’s only reply was to again slide his lips up Blake’s shaft, taking him completely in.  Then he swallowed again, the muscles of his throat milking at Blake even as his finger expertly stroked Blake’s prostate.  Blake could feel his own pleasure reflected back at him, amplified with Adam’s joy at being able to provide this for him, and it was too much.  Blake cried out, jerking spasmodically as he came directly down Adam’s throat.  Adam swallowed again quickly, taking Blake’s seed into himself.  He worked at Blake with his mouth and tongue, drawing every bit of come from the larger man until Blake was cursing and pounding one fisted hand against the side of the shower.  Then he got up and pressed his lips to Blake again, letting Blake taste himself.  “I love you,” he whispered into Blake’s mouth.

            “I love you too, Adam.”

            For a moment, Blake wanted to kick himself, seeing Adam’s eyes cloud at this use of his name.  But then the empath shook his head, laughed, and shrugged his shoulders.  “You know, I’m starting to get used to it from you.  So fuck it.  You can call me Adam, if you want?”

            “I do want!”  Blake pulled him close again, kissing him as if he might disappear any minute.  “I love you so much.  I don’t care what you call yourself, you’re _you,_ and you’re here, and I never want you to leave!”

            “Blake, I have to!”

            Blake stopped breathing.  “Why?”

            “Because this water is fucking freezing and we’re both going to get pneumonia!”

            Blake laughed, realizing that Adam was right.  Between the multiple people showering and how long the two of them had been here, the water had gone cold and was steadily getting colder.  The two quickly exited.

            “What about you?” Blake asked.  “I just had a hell of a good time, but you…?”

            “I’m fine.  Benefits of empathy.  Trust me, I enjoyed that as much as you did.”  Adam was smiling up at him.  But suddenly his smile faltered.  His brow wrinkled, and he tilted his head to one side as he stared up at Blake.  “What the hell?”

            Blake frowned.  “What?”

            “I don’t know.  You feel the same, but you look different.”  Adam’s eyes moved over his face, and then locked to his eyes.  “Maybe I’m just crazy.”

            “We finally agree on something.”

            “No, seriously.”  Adam rose on his toes, frowning as he looked into Blake’s eyes.  He shook his head.  “It’s gotta be the light or something, but your eyes?  They’re a different color.”

            “What?”  Blake peered in the mirror at his eyes.  “They don’t look any different to me.”

            “No one has spent more time gazing into your eyes than I have, Blake, and I’m telling you, they’re different.  They’re, I don’t know, darker somehow?”  He shook his head.  “Never mind.  I’ve had a long day and I’m beat.”  He grinned.  “So, time for the walk of shame!  Your clothes are a mess and stink, and I forbid you to put them back on.  But when you go out in a towel to get some clothes, everyone who sees you is going to know exactly what we were just doing in here!”  He chuckled.  “You up for that, Shelton?  You know if Five doesn’t say anything, Elton sure as hell will!”

            “Let ‘em.  Hell, I don’t even need a towel, I can do that butt ass naked!”

            Adam grinned like a Cheshire cat.  “I double dog dare you!”

            “On second thought, I’ll take the towel.”


	25. Straight Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake finally gets the answers he's been looking for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one. In a couple of days, I'll be going back for my final procedure on my lungs, so updates will become sporadic for a bit.
> 
> Song I used for this section is "Ordinary Man" by Breaking Benjamin  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz_yK-UG120

            Someone was in Blake’s room.  A pair of green eyes glowed in the darkness near the foot of his bed.  His breath caught in his throat, wondering if his visitor was Three or Adam?  But when he flicked on the light, his gaze fell on Elton.  “Uh, I’m flattered, buddy, but I’m gonna have to say no.”

            “Oh please!” Elton groaned.  “You’re a moron to turn all this down, Shelton, but it looks like the hot sexy action’s over for tonight.  The trios already took turns integrating and now all six of ‘em, including our lovely Three, are sound asleep.  It’s me and the men I’ve got patrolling watching over things now.  Perfect time for you and I to have a little walk and talk.  I told you I’d give you some straight answers?  Now’s the time.”

            Blake rubbed his eyes.  “What time is it?”

            “A little after 0400.”

            “Are you out of your mind?”

            “Probably.  Now get up, get some pants on, and let’s go.  There’s a gazebo in the back yard.  Meet me out there.  Better put on a jacket or something, it’s a bit chilly.”  And with that, Elton headed out.

            Blake cursed, pulled on some clothing, grabbed the jacket that went with the uniform he’d been given, and started out.

            As he passed through the living room, he was surprised to find both Shard trios.  Two large bean bags had been placed near each other on the floor, one at either end of the sofa.  Five was lying in the bag on Blake’s left, head thrown back, softly snoring.  His arms were around One on his right and Adam on his left.  Both were lying on their sides against him and the bean bag, facing each other with their heads on Five’s shoulders.  Their lower arms wrapped around themselves with a hand gripping Five’s arm while they clasped each other’s arm across Five’s broad chest.  The arms of the three formed a tight circle, holding on to each other through whatever they faced in their dreams at night.  Considering the sheer mass of scars that covered all three of their bodies, it was good that they supported each other.  Blake smiled, realizing that the brothers really had been telling the truth.  They had indeed been sleeping in that tent on the hill, probably just like this.  Blake took the blanket that had pooled near their feet and pulled it up to gently cover the three.  They never stirred.

            In the other bean bag, Dos lay with her arms around Uno on her right and Three on her left.  These three mimicked the position of the brothers, with one notable exception.  Dos’s arm was around Three, and Uno’s hand stretched towards the empath in his sleep.  But Three slept with her arms wrapped around herself, not clinging to the other two as Adam did with his trio.  Something about it made Blake sad.  He covered them as well.  Then he managed to tear himself away from the trios and went out into the night.

            Blake walked around the house towards the gazebo in the rear.  Elton was barely visible in the faint light of the moon, already at the gazebo.  Blake walked closer, his hands in his pocket, fingering the pistol he’d secreted in the right.  His senses were on full alert.  He’d already seen two men patrolling the grounds.  But both were dressed as Elton, and now Blake himself, in the odd dark colored uniform of the Company.  Blake hadn’t been comfortable, wearing what was obviously part of a work uniform for the Company he’d already come to detest.  But his other clothes were full of dirt, sweat and blood, with one sleeve ripped off of his shirt from when Dos had removed the tracer in Blake’s arm.  Besides, Adam had done that thing with his tracer bracelet, making them vanish in a flash of light.  He’d called it a “flash” and tried to explain it, something about the technology in his bracelet opening a portal that drew things into space, but the bottom line was that the clothes were gone forever.  After that, Blake’s choice was the uniform or continue with the towel.  But Blake wasn’t taking chances.  He’d known from the start that Elton was a dangerous man, and more than a little crazy.  But now here Blake was, out in the dark in the middle of the night, walking out to a gazebo far enough from the house that it was unlikely anyone could hear him if he called for help.  That spoke volumes about Blake’s own state of mind.

            Part of him wanted to just run back into the house, grab Adam and his brothers, and set off for Brazil to hide in the rainforest.  It surprised him for a moment, how much he’d grown to care for One and Five.  That he couldn’t imagine running off without them.  And perhaps that, as much as anything else, was why he’d come out here.  Elton had been right.  If there was one thing Blake wanted right now, it was a straight answer.  And as a Project Leader, Elton was the one person here who might have answers to his questions.  If anyone knew a way to help the brothers, it was Elton.

            Elton was seated on one of the benches in the gazebo, his breath steaming in the chilled air.  In the faint light, the slight glow of his eyes was very noticeable.  Blake took the other bench and faced him.  “Alright,” he said.  “Start talking.”

            “I’ll answer your questions and provide you with straight answers,” Elton countered, “but you need to ask them, first.”

            “How do I get them out?” Blake asked.  “How do I free them from this integration?”

            “Right to the heart of it.”  Elton reached into a pocket and produced a hip flask.  He took a swig, grimaced, and passed it to Blake.  “I promised you straight answers, so I’ll give it to you straight.  I know that the alpha trio’s told you a lot, Blake.  Did they tell you about the shards?”

            “Yeah, Adam did a little.  It’s the remains of some dead alien or something, right?”

            “That’s right.  Our enhanced psionic operatives have been fundamentally and permanently altered by having their minds integrated with the remains of the entity, the shards.  We don’t know what the entity is, just that it did not originate from our world, perhaps not even from our dimension.  But its remains have the ability to alter humans, especially those that contain traces of its genetic code.  In my case, I’ve barely got enough Shard code to notice, but it was enough that I could be partially altered.  But our psionic operatives have enough of that code that their minds are other than human from birth, which allows them the use of their psionic powers.  Integration produces a much more pronounced alteration, both mental and physical.  To be blunt, they’re not human anymore, and they will never be human again.  What they are now is a hybrid form of humanoid, with DNA not found anywhere in nature.  It’s highly unlikely that they can survive without the stability that their integration with the shards provides because there’s nothing else in nature that’s anything like them.  It is possible to break that integration by breaking the shards themselves, but only two people are capable of doing that.  And the odds of that proving harmful or fatal are very high.  You know what happened to Two and Three when Unum pulled One out of their integration?  The reason that every single psionic that was separated from One died or went crazy is because the telepaths in the Shard trios provide the other two with a direct link to the shards.  Without One, they only had an indirect link through the Unum and Breaker.  So if you break the shards?”  He shook his head.  “They’re not going to live through it, Blake.  Any who do survive will probably be severely brain damaged and won’t last long.  Pulling them completely out of Shard integration would be fatal.  I would bet my retirement savings plan on it.”

            Blake took a drink from the flask.  The whiskey burned down his throat.  He nodded in thanks and handed the flask back.  “So if I leave them in, the integration takes over, but if I get to one of those two people and get them to break the shards, they’ll die?”

            “Yes.  Break the shards, and everyone connected to them would die.”

            “So just out of curiosity, who are these two people?  Unum and you?”

            “Unum, yes, but I’m not the other one.  You are, Blake.”

            Blake froze.  “Me?”

            Elton snorted.  “Honestly, you’re the only one.  If Unum broke the shards, he’d be the first to die.  His body breaks down if he’s too far away from the shards for too long.  That’s why he has to stay at LB1.  It would be suicide for him.  But you, Blake?  Right now, you could walk in and destroy the shards with no danger to yourself.  That’s precisely why Unum didn’t just have you brought in from day one!  Because he knows perfectly well what you are.  He knows you’re the Shardbreaker.”

            Blake let out his breath in a huge sigh of relief.  “Oh, thank God!  Those Terra guys called me Breaker when they kidnapped me, but it was short for Shardbreaker!  For a while there, I thought they were calling me after that bastard who took Adam and the rest of them!”

            “Oh, they were,” Elton corrected.  “Make no mistake.  We prefer to think of you as Duo, but that is who you are, or at least who you’re becoming.  Once you’re exposed to the shards, I expect the transition will…”

            “Hold it!” Blake yelled.  “Wait just one damned minute!  You told me I’d get straight answers!”

            “And you’re getting them.  Looks like I need to back up a bit, though.”

            “Please do!”  Blake was shivering now from more than the cold.  “What the hell do you mean, I’m becoming Breaker?”

            “You don’t know.”  Elton’s voice was oddly gentle.  “I suppose it’s a new change, and you might not notice it unless, like me, you were looking for it.  But I’ve been monitoring you this whole time, and my instruments picked it up right away when you came out of that shower.  You and Seven, huh?”  He grinned.  “It’s ok, that whole place was rocking last night.  You and Seven, Five and Dos, and Uno and Three.  It was just like I suspected, the only one not affected was One, and I was left to my own damned devices…”

            “Words do not express how little I give a shit, Elton!” Blake snapped.  “Tell me what the fuck you’re talking about!”

            Elton raised his hands in supplication.  “Sorry.  But I’m really surprised Seven didn’t notice something.  You’re changing, Blake.  It’s finally starting, but now you’re changing fast.  It’s actually visible now.  I could see it when you turned on your light, when I woke you up.”  He paused.  “Would you like to see?”

            “Yeah.”

            Elton produced a lighted compact mirror.  “Don’t laugh,” he ordered.  “I know it’s a woman’s make-up mirror, but it comes in handy more often than you might think.  Anyway, take a look.”

            “What am I looking for?” Blake asked, taking the compact.

            “Trust me, you’ll notice.”

            Blake flipped the mirror open, activating the light, and looked at his reflection.  Elton was right.  His blue eyes were clearly darker now, moving towards a dark sapphire rather than their normal color.  Blake stared for a long moment.  Then he handed the mirror back.  “Mind giving me another hit of that flask?”

            Elton exchanged the mirror for the flask.  “You need a moment?”

            Blake took a drink, handed the flask back, and shook his head.  “Just tell me what’s going on.”

            “Alright, let me explain.”  Elton’s voice was still gentle, his glowing green eyes filled with sympathy.  “Uno and Dos were the original enhanced subjects.  They were two of the Company’s top scientists who volunteered to have their minds enhanced through extensive exposure to the shards.  Of all those available, the two of them had the highest concentration of what we call Shard code, the altered DNA caused by the entity when it contacted humanity thousands of years ago.  Both became attuned to the shards and altered, but there was damage.  For Unum, the damage was to his body.  And for Duo, the damage was to his brain.”

            “I know some of this story,” Blake said.  “Duo became psychotic, started torturing people to integrate them to those damned shards.  The result is inside on those bean bags, with scars all over their bodies.”

            “One, well, you’ve seen first-hand how powerful he is.  Uno’s close, but his levels just aren’t up to One’s.  That’s why Breaker kept integrating people to One, and Unum kept pulling One back out, dragging those Breaker had brought in off of him.  But when Five was integrated, well, not even Unum could break 97% compatibility, especially not when both Five and One chose to hold on to each other and fight against him.  Breaker didn’t quite understand that, though, but he saw how powerful Five was.  To date, we haven’t seen a more powerful chi.  So he burned through two more telepaths, killing them both trying to integrate them to Five to get around One, at least temporarily.  That was a disaster.  And then it was another disaster when Breaker added Six.  We finally had another Shard trio, one that was far more stable than the first with Two and Three.  But while One wasn’t actively trying to escape, he was obviously wanting to join the other two, even though that would mean going back into Breaker’s control.  And Breaker was planning to use the two he had to mount a direct attack on LB1 and reclaim One and the shards.  We actually got lucky when Six killed herself because that triggered Five’s escape and gave us our chi.”

            Blake opened his mouth, but Elton raised his hand.  “Now before you get upset, understand, losing her was a tragedy all around.  She was the only other empath we knew of at the time, and we’d really hoped we could reclaim her and Five and have a Shard trio.  When she died, all that was left was Three, who was still under Breaker’s control and completely incompatible with One.  Not even he was crazy enough to try to bring her back in.  So we were all desperate for another empath.  And then, like a gift from God, we discovered Adam Levine.  We contacted him, made progress towards getting him to come in.  But Breaker had joined a rival version of the Company created by the backers he’d found when we threw him out.  That company was called Terra.”

            “And those are the ones who sent those mercenary soldiers after me?”

            “Precisely.  Breaker’s psychotic.  The crazy bastard was abducting people in broad daylight, right when their lives were at a high point.  He took Adam Levine on live TV for fuck’s sake!  So Terra had all they could do just to keep him on any sort of a leash and work behind the scenes to cover up the messes he left.  But while he continued to produce results, he largely did what he wanted to do, and they had enough pull to let him get away with it.  They even managed to get a double agent on LB1.”

            “How could that happen?” Blake wanted to know.  “How could there be a double agent with telepaths like Unum running around?”

            “Because the Company isn’t the only one with access to Safe classified tech,” Elton explained.  “They captured a device that can block psionic power, the one we use in the containment fields we have on LB1 to keep our operatives under control.”  Elton apparently missed the dark look on Blake’s face because he kept talking.  “They reverse engineered it and found a way to make it portable.  So this double agent was carrying around a device that basically made him immune to psionic power.  It was that agent who discovered the files on Levine, and delivered that information to Terra and Breaker.  That’s how they knew to go after him.  And you know most of what happened then.”

            “Yeah, I was there.”

            “We didn’t know until the battle that Breaker had started over with a new trio, creating Uno and Dos.  Seven was initially meant to integrate with the two of them, and by then he’d figured out compatibility.  Man was a genius, after all.  But he changed his mind because he also figured out that One and Five would be far more likely to go with him if he could provide them with an empath, especially since Levine was the most powerful empath we’d found to date.”

            “So he wanted to integrate Adam to them to use him as bait to lure out the other two?”

            “Precisely.”

            “Sick fuck.”

            “Yes, he was.  But I think that the thing that you’re most interested in at this point, though, is the battle between Unum and Breaker when we finally found Breaker’s base and mounted a rescue mission,” Elton continued.  “Breaker was so powerful that only Unum could face him.  And Unum defeated him by essentially shutting off Breaker’s mind, leaving him an empty, mindless husk that didn’t survive more than about twenty minutes.  But did you ever wonder how Breaker was able to integrate anyone, when Unum had the shards?”

            “Thought did cross my mind, yes.”

            “Well, it turned out that when Unum and Duo used the shards for the first time to enhance their abilities, it somehow woke up the entity itself.  It divided in two, with half passing into Unum and half into Duo.  Unum got the physical half, which is what destroyed his body and keeps him pretty much bound to the shards, while his mind is extremely powerful.  And Duo got the mental half.  Duo was always a douche if you ask me, but that’s why he went completely psychotic and did what he did, while his body was so resistant it survived twenty minutes with absolutely no brain activity.  Both Unum and Duo knew instinctively how to integrate psionics.  But while Unum could use the shards to integrate, the presence of the entity in Duo’s mind meant that he could do it all by himself, so long as certain conditions were met.”

            “You mean so long as they were completely broken.”

            “Exactly.”

            “So what happened to Adam?” Blake wanted to know.  “He wasn’t broken when Unum rescued him, but they somehow integrated him anyway!”

            Elton grew still.  “I’m afraid that’s One’s story to tell.”

            “Second time I’ve heard that!  Fine, I’ll talk to One,” Blake growled.  “So much for straight answers, huh?”

            “Don’t be like that,” Elton scolded.  “I’m serious.  It’s One’s story to tell, because Seven needs to hear it, too.  And if you ask One to tell you, really insist on it?  One will tell you.  None of the integrated psionic operatives can resist you if you really push it, Blake, or didn’t you notice?”

            “Why is that?  Because I’m becoming Breaker, or Duo?”

            “Precisely.  Unum's got the same ability.  The others sense too much of the entity in Unum, and they all give in because they’ve been broken.  Seven is the only one who was never broken, so he’s the only one who has any real chance to stand against Unum.  Plus, Seven’s in love with you, and the other two are going to feel that.  I know damned well that Five’s been doing that ‘bromance’ thing with you, and if One isn’t already doing the same thing, it’s a matter of time!  Or he’s just too damned prim and proper to show it.  You know, the entire time One has been with us, since the day he was integrated?  No matter what, I’ve never seen that kid cry!  Anyway, now that you are becoming Breaker, or at least Duo, you’ve got twice the power to compel them, and, well, you seem to know quite a bit of classified information already.  Are our boys having a bit of trouble keeping things from you?”

            “Fine, whatever, I’ll ask him, although I really do not like the idea that they don’t have a choice in telling me,” Blake grumbled.  “I don’t get what One has to do with anything.  Unum’s stronger than he is anyway.”

            “Bullshit.”

            Blake blinked.  “Huh?”

            “Just what I said.  I’m giving it to you straight, Blake, and I’m telling you, that’s bullshit.  The strongest form of telepathy is a telepath in a fully aligned integrated trio.  In other words, One is the strongest we’ve got right now.  Unum is not a stronger telepath, and for the same reason, he’s not physically stronger than Five!”

            “Then why the hell do they believe he is?”

            “Because they’re all linked to the shards through Unum.  As a result, they subconsciously sense the presence of part of the entity that created them in him.  For that reason, all of our enhanced psionic operatives see him as the ultimate expression of their own power.”

            Blake blinked again.  “You lost me.”

            “I’ll make it simple.  One, as the only fully aligned integrated telepath, is the most powerful telepath.  But he senses the presence of the entity that created him in Unum.  So when he looks at Unum, he sees him as an extremely powerful telepath, far more powerful than himself.  Likewise, Five sees him as physically stronger than himself because that is the ultimate expression of his chi.  Now, an empath is all about emotions.  So what, Blake, is the most powerful emotion?”

            “Love!”  Blake groaned, burying his face in his hands.  “That’s why Adam believes he’s in love with Unum when he’s fully aligned with his integration!  He doesn’t really love Unum at all, it’s just the most powerful expression of his empathy!”

            “Precisely.  An empath looks at Unum and sees the ultimate expression of love because of the presence of part of that entity inside of him.  And now that you’re turning, well, Seven loved you before, so that’s not really a good example.  But that is why you got greeted so enthusiastically by Three!  She’s insane, so she’s primarily driven by her integration.  That’s why she’s easy to integrate into pretty much any trio, and she’s much better with a telepath and a chi to help stabilize her, but she won’t talk.  She’s much more in tune with her integration than the others, and she knew as soon as she saw you what you were becoming.”

            “Enough of that shit,” Blake growled.  “It’s time to tell me why you keep saying I’m turning into Breaker.”

            “Because the portion of the entity that was inside of Breaker has chosen you as its new host,” Elton said simply.  “Our theory is that it noticed you when Breaker kidnapped Levine.  See, after Breaker died, his portion of the entity returned to the shards.  And Unum is able to temporarily take both portions into himself.  When he does that, he becomes a being that we call Father.  That’s the only method we have to communicate with the entity.  We tried talking to it, to find out more about it, where it came from, if there were more and any plans to invade, you know, that sort of thing.  But Father was interested only in one thing.  Over and over, it was ‘Bring me the Pure Human’ or ‘Bring me to the Pure Human.’  And after a while, he got pissy.  He said we were taking too long, he wanted the Pure Human, and he would help us no more until he got what he wanted.  After that, Unum wasn’t able to become Father, which means he couldn’t integrate any more psionics and he couldn’t realign the integration of our current trios.”

            “Good!”

            “Not really, especially for you.  See, we had no idea what it was talking about, Pure Human, what the fuck was that?  The only clue we had was that Father said he’d found the Pure Human when he’d taken his empath, as Breaker.  So we got a list of the audience members and the crew, everyone who was on the show.  I figured I’d do the hard part first and check the coaches.  And when I got a sample of your DNA and saw that it didn’t show a single trace of Shard code, I knew it was you.  But then, we had a problem.”

            “Always.  Let me guess, you still hadn’t found that double agent?”

            “Damn, Shelton, you’re smarter than…”

            “Yeah, get it a lot.  Ok, and the agent gave Terra my file, and that’s why you sent Adam and his brothers to protect me.  But I still don’t get it.  If Terra can’t access the shards, what the hell do they want me for?  Why am I still so important that you guys sent the brothers out?”

            “Because the more contact you have with anyone enhanced by Shard, the faster you turn.  That’s why our beta trio was formed and sent out here.  It wasn’t just to help protect you, Blake, it was also to surround you with as much Shard influence as we could manage.  And your, um, extended contact with Seven tonight?  That tilted the scales.  But you've been changing for some time now.  Unum contacted me shortly after our alpha Shard trio made contact and confirmed that the entity is in the process of preparing itself for you.  Since then, he could become Father again, and meanwhile, the entity was reaching out through them, slowly rewriting your genetic code, Blake.  And at this point, all anyone really has to do now is put you in the same room with an enhanced subject and just let nature take its course.”

            Blake straightened.  “That’s what those Terra guys said.”

            “When I say it, I mean your body would continue to change, preparing for the entity.  They were likely referring to Unum.  Unum’s readings have been declining for months.”

            “Readings, like his connection to Shard?”

            “Like his medical readings.”  Elton’s voice was flat.  “Unum is dying, Blake.  He won’t make it another year.  Taking on Father, it’s tearing him apart.  Even when he couldn’t, his decline didn’t slow.  Pretty soon, not even the chis will be able to help him.  And if Unum dies, so does everyone who was altered through him and Duo because he is the first link in the chain.  And that is why Terra wants you.  If they get their hands on you, all they have to do is sit back and wait for Unum to die, and everyone linked through him will die with him, including my precious self!  Then they can waltz into LB1, shove you at the shards, and start the whole thing all over again.”

            “Like hell!” Blake snarled.  “Do whatever the hell you want, either one of you, but I’ll be damned if I turn into Breaker!  Besides, if taking on Father is killing Unum, why the hell would I do it and kill myself?  Nothing about this bullshit makes any sense!”

            “You’re pure human, Blake,” Elton said.  “The going theory right now is that, since your DNA is uncorrupted, the shards will be able to do a complete overwrite.  You’d be enhanced with all three powers!  And with Unum out of the way, you would become Father on a permanent basis.  Imagine what they could do with you if you had that kind of power, Blake!  Terra could use you to integrate more psionics, create their own army of enhanced trios, and take over the country of their choice!”

            “And Adam and his brothers and all the rest of you would be dead.”

            “That’s right.”  Elton’s voice was firm.  “If Terra takes you, and keeps you prisoner until Unum dies?  You lose us all, including the man you love.  But if you take your place with Unum?  You can save them, save _him!”_

            “I can take Adam and his brothers out of integration without killing them?”

            Elton sighed.  “No.  You can pull them out of their trio, but that will hurt them, and if you break the shards, they’d die.  But if you reintegrated them?  Then they’d be integrated to you, perfectly aligned to your mind!  You want the three of them, Blake?  They’d be yours for as long as you all lived!”

            “You mean they’d basically be my slaves, the way they’re Unum’s slaves now!”

            “Then give them some choices, Blake!” Elton exclaimed.  “Unum’s so possessive and afraid of losing control over them that he keeps them locked up in Shard Section on LB1 as much as he can.  But you don’t have to restrict them.  If you take on all three powers, you’d be in charge, not Unum!  And they’ll see you as the ultimate manifestation of their power.  That means they’ll look up to you, follow you, and yes, love you, Blake.  You think Seven loves you now?  Wait until he sees you as love incarnate!  You could be a brother to Five and One, and a lover to Seven, and no one could ever take them away from you.”  He leaned forward, watching Blake intently.  “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

            “But they’d still be integrated!” Blake pointed out.  “Yeah, they’d be with me, but it wouldn’t be them.  Who they really are will still fade away!  No matter what, I still lose Adam!”

            “It can’t be helped, Blake.  I’m sorry.  You can have his love, but only at a price.  Become Duo, and he’s yours, but yes, his original personality will fade away.  They all will, leaving only their integration.  But that integration will be aligned with you!”

            “I won’t make them my slaves!” Blake yelled.  “I won’t have Adam the way Unum does, because of his damned integration.  I won’t do it!”

            “Refuse, and they die.  We all die, Blake.  Are you willing to let that happen?”

            Blake held out his hand, and once more, Elton passed him the flask.  Blake took another drink and handed it back.

            Elton accepted the flask back, took a drink, and replaced it in his pocket.  “It was deemed too dangerous to expose you to the shards before you showed real signs that you’d started to change,” he explained.  “Now that it’s starting to happen?  With continued exposure, we estimate your rate of change will continue to accelerate.  And once Father tells us he’s ready for you, we bring you in.”

            Blake didn’t respond for a moment.  When he did, his voice was soft.  “You son of a bitch.  This is why you brought Adam back, isn’t it?  It didn’t have anything to do with Adam.  You knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away from him, especially if he was working with me.  I wondered why you'd take the risk of putting him on that show.  It was so that they could start this, make me start changing!  You guys were so scared, so busy saving your own skins, that it didn't even matter, the risk of exposure.”

            “It was also great advertising for the Company, to those we deal with.  Proof that our enhanced psionic operatives could indeed be controlled by their integration.  But I did feel that Seven needed to deal with his demons,” Elton corrected.  “You’re still correct.  If it makes you feel any better, the alpha trio wasn’t your first Shard exposure.  Your project was formed because you’d been contacted by someone altered by Shard before.”

            “Who?”

            “My guess is Four.  He’s the only one we never took into custody, and now he’s with Terra.  Do you remember an Indian man, dark skin, short hair, beard, built like a Mac truck?”

            Blake frowned.  “Yeah, now that you mention it.  I saw someone like on my tour.  He must have come backstage and shook my hand about a dozen times.  Seemed like a big fan, but he never talked, just smiled and shook my hand.”

            “He doesn't talk any more than Three does, for largely the same reason.  But that’s all it would take, Blake.  That started the process, started altering you.  At some point they obviously had increased contact with you, probably to confirm you were the one they wanted.  I suspect you were drugged somehow, your food or drink, or they just broke into your house in the middle of the night and stuck a needle in you.  Hell, that’s exactly what I did to get my DNA samples.  It would also be when they put the tracer in your arm.  You never noticed anything?”

            “It was sore, and it itched,” Blake recalled.  “I thought it was an insect bite.”

            “Four’s a chi.  He could have healed it up, and you’d never know.  We’d been monitoring you, on an intermittent basis.  But when we saw Shard contact, you got assigned your own project, Project Honeybee.”

            “Project Honeybee?”  Blake couldn’t help but chuckle.  “And that’s why the brothers got assigned to guard me.  So now that I’m apparently showing real signs that I’ve started to change, what’s going to happen to me?”

            “You’re not ready yet, but it’s too dangerous now to let you go.  So you’ll be recalled to LB1 as soon as the transporter pad is repaired, and kept away from the shards until you’re both ready, you and the entity,” Elton explained.  His voice was friendly now, as if he was discussing a trip to Hawaii rather than destroying Blake’s life.  “There, you’ll be officially brought on board.  As of right now, you’re under my command.”

            Blake laughed.  “The hell I am!”

            “Oh, I assure you, you are under my command,” Elton insisted.  “You may not like it, and you may not want to listen, but you will, because it’s in all of our best interest.  While you are with my operations team, which by the way does include your boyfriend, you will follow orders or you risk getting everyone killed.  Again, is that what you want?”

            “No, it’s not what I want,” Blake snapped.  “But I noticed a little catch there.”  Blake stood up and glared down at Elton over crossed arms.  “What if I’m not with you?  How about I head out of here and hole up somewhere and tell you and Terra to both kiss my ass?”

            “And let your precious Seven die?”

            “So what if I do?” Blake bluffed.

            Elton rolled his eyes.  “Seven’s right, you really are an idiot, Blake!  How, exactly, do you think it was that we found you?”

            “I’ll bite, how?”

            “Same way Terra did.”

            Blake sputtered.  “You guys shoved a chip into me, too?”

            “We didn’t have to!  We nearly lost you when you took off suddenly for Oklahoma, and after that, we made a specialized tracer just for you.  And you _let_ us put that tracer on you!”  Elton reached down, grabbed Blake’s wrist, and displayed the watch that Unum had put on him.  “Took us a herculean effort and more money than I’ll ever see, but here it is.  Different design, nice watch attached to it, but there’s really no difference between this and the tracers that our enhanced psionic operatives have.  There’s nowhere you can run that we can’t find you while you’re wearing it.  You can’t run away, Blake.  If you do, we either come after you and drag you back kicking and screaming, or we just wait until the transport pads are fixed and let Unum recall you.  Don’t you get it?  You belong to the Company now, Blake, and you’re under my command, and there is not one damned thing you can do about it.  Accept it, and move on!”

            Blake jerked his arm free and stared for a moment at the watch.  He fiddled for a moment with the clasp.  Then he began to frantically jerk at it, straining to pull it off of his wrist.  “Get it off of me!”

            Elton rolled his eyes.  “Would you relax?  If Five and Dos can’t pull theirs off, what the hell makes you think you can?  And before you get any ideas about hacksaws or anything like that, you should know that Uno already tried it.  Cut off his own thumb with a knife to pull his tracer off.  We cleaned up the mess, put the tracer bracelet right back on, reattached his thumb, had one of the chis heal it, and explained that if he did it again, he’d end up with a tracer around his neck.  He got the message.  Did you?  Cool it, would you?”

            Blake swore and began to pace.  He ran his fingers through his hair and held his head, trying to think.  “You’re not taking me away and turning me into Breaker, dammit!  Adam begged me to get him and his brothers out, and I promised him I’d find a way to do that.  If I become Breaker or Duo or Father or who the fuck ever, if I take on this entity, _I’ll_ be the one dragging them back in!  I won’t do it!  I don’t give a shit what you do to me, I will _not_ be part of dragging those guys back into their integration and destroying everything that they really are!”

            Elton facepalmed.  “For the love of God, calm down!” he groaned.  “We’re not going to do anything to you.  Once we expose you to the shards, it will all just happen naturally.”

            “You said this thing was in Breaker’s head, and it’s what made him psychotic.  How the hell do we know that if it jumps into me, I won’t end up just as psychotic?”

            “That is an excellent question, actually,” Elton confessed grudgingly.  “At this point, it’s open to debate as to if Breaker went psychotic because the entity broke his mind, or because the entity itself is psychotic.  But you’re pure human.  As long as your body is fully prepared beforehand, we anticipate an 80% chance that you’ll come through it with a significant portion of your mind intact.”

            Blake stared at him.  “A significant portion.”

            “Well, naturally, the entity would take over the majority of your psyche,” Elton explained.  “Since it’s chosen you as a host, we anticipate a 75% chance that the portion of it that currently resides in Unum would move to you, creating Father in you and saving Unum, perhaps enabling us to reverse the damage to his body.  From what Unum reports, the entity is huge, and it would take over much of your psyche in a manner similar to how the Shard trios are affected.  But it’s likely that part of you will come through it intact.  That’s why it’s important that we bring you fully on board first, so that you understand our goals and can help us to guide Father.  See, Father’s primary goal is to continue to integrate more psionics and create more Shard trios.  But we don’t think he understands just how few empaths there actually are.  For some reason, that section of Shard code is nearly extinct in humanity as a whole, something Father clearly did not anticipate.  So we have a plan in place to help you in your search for more empaths…”

            “Stop!” Blake yelled.  “Just stop!  I’m not doing this!  I’m not getting on board, I’m not becoming Breaker or Duo or Father or anyone else, and I sure as hell am not keeping anyone integrated or dragging anyone new into more Shard trios!  I’m staying me, and I’ll find another way to help Adam and his brothers.  Go fuck yourself, Elton, and tell Unum and the Company to bend over, too!”

            “Blake, you don’t have a choice in this,” Elton said patiently.  “You’re already starting to change.  Unum will recall you to LB1 as soon as the pads are operational, and when the time comes, you’ll either walk to the shards, or be hogtied and carried there.  Your choice.”

            Blake’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  For a moment, he thought of the pistol in his pocket, but he quickly decided against it.  Shooting Elton wouldn’t get the tracer off of his wrist, and the resilient Shard modified bastard would probably brush the shot off anyway.  “Are you sure you want to do that?” he asked instead.  “If I’m about to become this entity that you’re all so damned dependent on, is it really a good idea to piss me off?”

            “I’m taking a chance, I know!” Elton exclaimed, raising his hands.  “But I’m also establishing a precedence.  When you become Father, you will know who among the three of us gives you straight answers, and who has already risked his ass to keep you safe!”

            “And that means?”

            “That means, when you’re Father, you’ll need help.  We kind of wanted a Nobel prizewinner for this role, and we got the CMAs instead.  Well, so be it.  I like you, Blake.  I think we can get along once you figure out we’re on the same side here.  And if you take on Father, and all three powers?  You will be unquestionably the top dog at the Shard Project.  Think of all the good you could do, with all that power and the backing of the Company!  Some of our board members are among the most powerful men and women on the planet, Blake.  But you’ll need someone to help you, and run Shard as your second in command.”  He stood up and indicated himself.  “I was in the rangers and fought in Operation Desert Storm.  Came out decorated, medals for heroism and valor.  Then I became a scientist.  I’m a certified genius as well as an expert in military field operations.  That makes me the best qualified to help you run Shard.  I’m the guy who can best help you out in the field, when we go out in search of more psionics.  You already saw how I got your back, Blake!  I already took a bullet for you, and I’ll take as many more as I have to, whatever it takes to keep you safe.  You stick with me, and I’ll take down Terra once and for all.  Then there won’t be anyone standing in your way.  Besides, you already hate Unum, and trust me, you’ll hate Murray, too.  I’m your man, buddy!”

            Blake stared at him.  “Are you interviewing for a job right now?”

            “You got it.  The system we have now is about to be overhauled.  You’ll need to promote one of us.  And Blake?  I’m the man for the job.  I gave you straight answers in exchange for a favor, and this is the favor I want.  When you look at the three of us and have to choose your number two, I want to be the one you choose.”  He patted Blake’s arm.  “Think about it, ok?”

            “You’re seriously crazy.”

            “Yes, but in this case, that’s an advantage.”  Elton stretched and checked his watch.  “Still plenty of time.”

            “Time for what?”

            “To wake up the alpha trio and get those answers you wanted.  But I can tell you right now, One is not going to want to talk about what happened when Levine got integrated.  Even you are going to have trouble getting that out of him.  Your best bet is to bring his brothers along, because that will help him feel safe.  Talk to him alone, and he’s more likely to clam up.  So go poke the three of them, get them out here, and get the rest of those answers you want.”

            “Thanks.”

            “One of the many services I can provide, buddy!”  Elton patted Blake’s arm again.  “In fact, I can wake ‘em up for you?”

            “I’ll do it.  Thanks, I think.”

            “Welcome.  Anything you need, I’m your man.  Remember that, and everything I said!”  

            “I doubt I could forget it if I tried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **GOLD STAR** to Anit for guessing that Blake is supposed to replace Breaker!
> 
> **GOLD STAR** to Jackatlas1996 for picking up on the fact that the brothers feel a bond with Blake that's encouraging them to tell him things!
> 
> Nice job, luvs!


	26. To Tell the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake confronts One to learn the truth about what really happened when Adam was integrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this section, and One's theme, is "Save Yourself" by Stabbing Westward  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpeQCIInp9U

            Blake gently shook One awake.  He opened one eye, looked at Blake, and sighed.  “What?” he asked sleepily.

            “I need to talk to you,” Blake said simply.  “Your brothers can come, but mostly I need you.”

            “What time is it?”

            “About 6am.”

            One closed his eye.  “Come back about 0800.  Ta.”

            “Now, One.”

            “What?” Five groaned.  “Beat it, Shelton, it’s way too damned early!”

            “No.  Get up.”  Blake pulled off the blanket he’d covered them with earlier, drawing grumbles of protest from all three.  “Get dressed and meet me outside at the gazebo.”

            “Dammit, Blake!” Adam began.  “It’s…”  He paused.  Then suddenly he was up like a shot.  “Blake, what the fuck?  You’re, I mean, there’s something…!”

            “I know, and we’ll talk about it later.  Right now, I need One, and I want you and Five to come with us.  Now get dressed and meet me out at the gazebo!”

            The seriousness in Blake’s voice woke the three up.  The arguing stopped immediately as they got up, heading upstairs to dress.  Blake waited, and moments later, the three came down.  Without a word, he led them outside.  At the gazebo, he put an arm around One, pulling him to sit next to him while he directed the other two to sit across from them.  One was clearly nervous about this.  He hadn’t combed his hair or put on his tie, and his mussed, just awakened appearance made him look younger, somehow more vulnerable.  But as soon as he started to speak, it became clear why.

            “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, clearly reading Blake’s mind.  “Especially not in front of Seven.”

            “One, I need to know, alright?”  He glanced at Adam, who was watching them both with a frown.  “And don’t you think, whatever it is, it’s time your brother learned the truth?”

            “Blake, One keeps his secrets for a reason,” Five said.

            “What secrets?” Adam wanted to know.  “What’s going on?”

            “Blake wants to know how you were integrated, when you hadn’t first been broken,” One explained, his voice shaky.  “It’s not a story I feel I should tell you, especially not now when you’re in danger of being taken away from us!”

            “One’s right,” Five agreed.  “You’re under enough stress right now, Seven.”

            “I’m under a hell of a lot more right now than you know!” Adam retorted.  “Blake’s got Shard influence.  What the hell is going on?  He never had it before!”

            Three sets of eyes turned to regard Blake.  Blake scowled.  “One thing at a time,” he insisted, working to bury the memory of his conversation with Elton.  “I’m working on what’s happening to me, but first I need to know what happened to Adam when he was brought in.”  He turned and took One’s shoulders.  “You made some kind of deal, One, that allowed Adam to come to that last show.  You mentioned it when we spoke, but you never gave me any details.  Well, now it’s time to give up those details.  I need to know what happened that day.”

            One sat stiffly, his eyes fixed on nothing.  Then he quickly rose and started walking away.

            Blake swore softly.  “You two stay here.  I need you to trust me on this, alright?”  Not waiting for their reply, Blake set out after One, quickly caught up, and grabbed the young man’s arm, forcing him to stop.  “One, do not walk away from me now.”

            “Take your hands off of me, Mr. Shelton,” One called, not looking at Blake.  “I’ll not be forced into destroying what I have with my brother, and if he learns what really happened, that’s precisely what…”

            “One?” Blake began.  “Who’s Gareth Parland?”

            One frowned, confused by this change of subject.  “The name is familiar, but I can’t place it right now.  Why?”

            “Because it’s you, that’s why!  You don’t even remember who you really are anymore, do you?”

            One flushed and pulled away, turning to face Blake.  “You can’t save me, Blake, and I can’t help you save Seven.  I’m sorry.  I’ve simply been integrated for too long.  Who I used to be is all but gone right now, and what difference does it make?”

            “The difference is that Gareth may be all but gone, but Adam Levine is still there,” Blake insisted.  “And you’re wrong.  You can help save him, One!  I saw him, back at your base camp, spoke to him a little while, and he begged me to get the three of you out of this.  When you were integrated, you gave yourself a name, one that I can use to pull you out.  What is it?”

            One stiffened.  “Why would you even want to know that?”

            Blake sputtered.  “One, you’ve lost so much already to this damned integration you’ve been forced into!  You’re basically a slave, and I heard about how Unum treats you, how he intimidates you!  You said yourself that for four years, the fact that you’re a telepath has been the only thing about you that anyone’s cared about.  But if I could get you out, you could try to regain something back of all that you’ve lost!  So I don’t get it.  Why wouldn’t you want to be pulled out?”

            “Because there isn’t enough left of me to pull out!” One exclaimed.  “My integration is all there is to me anymore, Blake.  The name you gave me, it doesn’t mean anything because there’s not enough of him left to respond to it!  You can’t pull me out of integration, and I’m frankly afraid to let you try it!  I’ve no idea what you might find.”

            “Do you even remember it?  Your name you gave yourself?”

            He shook his head.  “No.  It’s as gone as the other.”

            “Adam doesn’t remember his name, either, but that’s because he doesn’t remember anything about his integration,” Blake explained.  “And guess what, buddy?  He _does_ want to be pulled out!  The only chance I have of getting the three of you out of this right now is to pull you all out at the same time.  So I need both of your names.  I’m already working on yours.  But I need your help to find Adam’s.”

            One took a deep breath and sighed.  “What do you want of me?”

            “The truth.  I want you to look into Adam’s mind and see what he chose.”

            “I don’t know if I can,” One confessed.  “You saw what happened when you found out Five’s name and spoke it to him.  And you saw how much it hurt us!  Now you want me to find a way to pull my other brother out, leave me alone again?”

            Blake pulled One into his arms and hugged him tightly.  “I won’t leave you alone.  I promise.  I’ll find all three of your names, and I promise you, when I pull you out, I won’t do you last.”

            One’s body stiffened.  He pushed against Blake’s chest.  “Let go of me!”

            “No.  Because I need you to know that I will not leave you behind.  Do you understand me, One?  I won’t leave you, and I won’t take your brothers away.  I want to save you _all_ , and I need your help to do that!”

            In his arms, Blake could feel One tremble.  Then the telepath relaxed slightly, leaning against Blake’s chest much as he had when he’d been drugged.  “If you do pull me out, you’d best take me second.  If there’s even enough of me left to stay out at all, I can’t imagine that I’ll last long.”

            “Alright.”  Blake let him go, and One quickly stepped back, looking embarrassed.  “Do you think you can read Adam’s mind, find his name?”

            “Not easily.  Seven’s a powerful empath, and he’s set up a block in his mind using his empathy.  Even our integration hasn’t been able to breech it.  I believe it’s what allowed him to survive seven days in Breaker’s hands without breaking.”  He looked up sharply.  “What do you mean, that’s your fault?”

            “Not nice to pick my mind, but it is my fault.  He did that because of me, because he was trying to protect his memories of me.  He said that’s how he survived that hell.  But then he gets stuck on how he could be integrated when he wasn’t broken.  So if you can help him remember that…”

            “No!” One exclaimed.  “If he remembers, he’ll hate me!”

            “Do you honestly believe that, One?”

            “With all my heart, Blake!  And you’ll hate me, too.  The only reason Five doesn’t is because he knows I did it largely for him, and he feels as though he bears some portion of the blame even when it’s entirely upon my shoulders.  Please, let it go?  There’s a mate.”  He turned and once again started walking away.

            “One!”  Blake again grabbed his arm.  “I need for you to tell me!”

            This time, One froze.  He let out a small whimper, and his head dropped.  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly.  “Please don’t hurt me?”

            Blake swore, quickly let him go, and moved to stand in front of him.  “One, look at me!  I’m Blake Shelton, your buddy, remember?  Whatever else you’re sensing in me right now, I’m still me.  And I care about you, alright?  I’m not going to hurt you.  I’m not going to force you into anything.  I know you’re feeling compelled right now, and that isn’t at all how I want this to go!  What I want is for you to tell me, and tell Adam, because it’s the right thing to do.  Now forget about the shit Breaker did, or whatever Unum did, and remember that this is me you’re talking to.  And I swear to God, I won’t hurt you, One.”  He stepped aside.  “If you still want to walk away, I won’t stop you this time.  But then you’re going to have to look your brother in the eye, and know that you had your chance to make things right between you, and you walked away.”

            For a long moment, One simply stood where he was.  If he started walking away again, Blake had every intention of letting him go.  He’d find another way to help Adam remember, maybe Uno…

            Without a word, One turned around and started back towards his brothers.  Blake breathed a sigh of relief and followed.

            One went directly to Five, sat on the bench next to him, and threw his arms around the older man’s neck, burying his face into Five’s neck and shaking like a leaf.  Five quickly embraced him, glowering at Blake.  “What did you say to him?” he growled.

            “Just that he needed to tell us the truth,” Blake replied.  “It’s time to finally get it out in the open.”

            “Brothers, I need to know, too,” Adam called.  “One, won’t you help me?”

            “Yes.”  One’s voice was muffled.  “Just give me a moment, please?”

            Five tightened his arms around One.  “You don’t have to do this, baby brother.”

            “Yes, I do.  Blake’s right, and Seven has the right to know.”

            Five closed his eyes and tilted his face up, as if saying a silent prayer.  When he opened them, they fixed on Adam.  “I want you to know, he did it for me,” he told him.  “Don’t blame him.”

            “No,” One insisted.  He pulled free of Five’s arms and rose.  “I’ll confess that you were a large part in why I did what I did, Five, but I had my reasons, as well.  I’m the one who chose to act, and I’m the one who actually made it possible for Seven to be integrated without being broken.  The blame is mine.”

            Adam’s eyes grew wide.  “What?  What do you mean?  Brother, please, I need to know!”

            One nodded.  His grey eyes moved to Blake.  “I’ll need tactile contact with you.  I can show the other two because they’re integrated to me, but you’ll have to hold onto me.”

            “Shoulder again?”

            One nodded again.  He sat down next to Blake and hunched, folding his hands on his knees.  Blake put his hand on the telepath’s shoulder.  “Seven?” One began.  “I told you once that your memories were difficult to access because you’d created a block with your empathy.  Blake just told me that he’s the reason for that block, that you put it in place to protect your memories of him.  But I need you to let it drop now.  Focus on Blake, on letting him in, and you’ll let me in, as well.”

            Adam nodded.  He looked at Blake, and almost immediately, his eyes grew soft.  He smiled, and Blake smiled back.

            Then suddenly, Blake was looking at three people.  All three had glowing green eyes.  Unum and Elton were frowning down at him, standing over him as he sat in a wheelchair.  Standing with them and also frowning was a beautiful woman in her late thirties.  Her long black hair hung in soft curls from pigtails.  She wore a black dress that hung to her knees, black and white stockings, and old fashioned black shoes with bows and elevated heels.  Over the dress, she wore a white lab coat.  She carried a clipboard and a pen.  Her arched eyebrows were down, and her red lips were curled as she frowned.

            _“Blake, can you hear me?”_

            It was One, seeming to come from somewhere behind him.  Blake tried to turn his head, but found he couldn’t.  He tried to speak, but that didn’t work either.  He felt a moment of panic.

            _“It’s ok, Blake,”_ Adam’s voice soothed.  _“You’re seeing a scene from my memory.”_

 _“I froze this to give you time to adjust,”_ One explained.  _“It’s the last memory of Adam Levine.  Seven let me access it, but you need to be aware of a few things.  First, you’ll be seeing it through Levine’s eyes, and witnessing things as he recalls them.  Second, you won’t just see it.  This is a strong memory, very intense, because it’s tied to some very strong emotions.  That’s why it was locked behind Seven’s empathy.  I need to warn you both, this will be very difficult.”_

 _“Alright.”_   Blake had figured out that the two were speaking to him telepathically, and hoped they could hear his response.  _“Who’s the hot gothic Lolita?”_

 _“Dr. Murray.”_   Five’s voice was a growl.  _“She’s nice to look at, but that’s about her only positive character trait.  The fact that she took on the empathy trait is a complete irony.  A bigger bitch you will never meet.”_

 _“It’s the Project Leaders,”_ Adam explained.  _“I do remember this, that I spoke to them after they brought me back from ‘The Voice.’  I remember I told them that I didn’t want to stay, I’d changed my mind.  I wanted to go back to you, Blake.  They didn’t take it well.  That was when they called their thugs on me, forced me in my wheelchair into the shard room.  But I don’t remember much of anything after that.”_

 _“Bastards!”_ Blake growled.

            _“As I said, this will be very difficult,”_ One warned.  _“You won’t just watch it, you’ll experience it as Levine did, and then you’ll also experience his transition into Seven.  Blake, you will feel the man you love being forced into integration.  Are you certain you can handle it?”_

 _“No, I’m not certain at all,”_ Blake confessed.  _“But I’m going to try.”_

 _“Same here,”_ Seven agreed.  _“Let us see it, brother.”_

 _“If you’re certain.”_   One’s telepathic voice sounded shaky.  _“Five?”_

 _“I’m here, One,”_ Five soothed.  _“Go ahead.”_

_“As you wish.”_

            And suddenly, Blake was Adam.


	27. Integration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam Levine is integrated into a Shard trio, becoming Shard Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rough chapter to write and to read ahead, fair warning.
> 
> Music for this section is "In A Dark Place" by Gary Numan  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l57nbvrTBqM

            The project leaders were staring at me, obvious disapproval in their glowing eyes.  I felt bad and wished I could somehow sink into my wheelchair and vanish.  I knew I’d let them down, especially after they’d risked so much to rescue me, but I was resolute.  “When I agreed to come in, I believed that the man I’m in love with didn’t want me,” I explained.  As usual, I was talking a mile a minute, betraying my anxiety.  “But that’s changed.  I’ve got a chance for a real life with him now, and…”

            “You realize the danger you’re in?” Elton called.  “You’re an empath, Adam!  You don’t seem to realize how rare that is, how valuable you are!  If you go back out there, Terra will stop at nothing to get you, and that’s only the group we know about!  There are splinter groups…”

            “I’ll take my chances,” I declared.  “I promise I won’t tell Blake anything more than I have to, but he’s worth any risk.  Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.  I’ll come in like we agreed before, let you study me and all that.  But I want to go home now.  Please, will you take me back?”

            The three exchanged a look.  And then they nodded.

            I thought they’d agreed to let me go home.  But suddenly hands took hold of me, ignoring my injuries to hold me tight into the chair and wheel me through several doors into another room.  Something in that room resonated, pulsed like a beating heart.  Alarmed, I struggled.  “What are you doing?  Let go of me!”  But they ignored me, pulling me out of my wheelchair and dragging me to my feet.

            Ahead of me, I saw a full body reclining chair.  I took one look at the restraining clamps all over the chair and panicked, struggling to get free from the men holding me.  “No way!  No fucking way!  You are not putting me in that thing!”

            “You agreed to come in,” Dr. Murray reminded.  The three project leaders had followed behind me.

            “I agreed to come in, yes, but I didn’t agree to be manhandled or clamped down!”  I gasped as the men who had brought me in turned me and pushed me backwards towards the restraining chair.  I knew that the resonance I was sensing could only be the shards.  They were here, in the room with me.  I could feel my body starting to respond, my mind being drawn in, and I was desperate to get away.  Ignoring the pain, I fought with all my strength.  I could feel my stitches tearing, my wounds opening and starting to bleed again as I struggled.  “No, let go of me, fucking let me go!  No!  _No!”_

            It still wasn’t enough.  The men forced me into the chair.  The instant my body pressed against the restraints, they automatically snapped shut, locking me in.  When the first ones closed around my waist and chest I gasped and somehow found the strength to fight harder.  But I was already trapped, more and more of the clamps closing around me as I was pushed into place.  It sounded oddly like popcorn, the clamps snapping shut, confining me until I couldn’t move anything but my head.  The clamps were perfectly positioned and sized for me, obviously put in place long before I’d arrived to hold me snugly without putting strain on my limbs.  _They planned this,_ I realized.  _They already had this chair ready for me.  They never intended to let me go!_

            “Stop!” I pleaded.  “Let me out!  I just want to go home!”

            “I’m afraid what you want doesn’t matter.”  Dr. Murray again.  She was writing on her ever-present clipboard as Elton dismissed the men who had forced me into the chair.  “You’ve got to be integrated, or someone else just like Breaker will come for you and do it by force.”

            “What the fuck do you call this now?” I screamed, straining to pull loose.  “You’re going to kill me!  I’m not…”  I stilled, what she’d just said dawning on me.  “What do you mean, I’ve got to be integrated?  What are you going to do to me?  You have to be broken to be integrated!”

            “Relax, pal, no one’s gonna torture you,” Elton assured.  “Our resident telepath came up with a better way to force someone into integration.”

            “You have no right!”

            “Hey, talk to One,” Elton replied, shrugging.  “He agreed to help us out rather than let you be broken, and he’s also why you got to go see your boyfriend one last time.  Honestly, you should thank him.”

            “Thank him?  Fuck him, and fuck you!  I just spent seven days in hell to keep Breaker from integrating me, and I won’t let you do it now!”  I jerked hard on the restraints.  “Let me out of this fucking thing!  _Let me out!”_

            “Shh.”  Unum was at my side, gently sticking electrodes onto my head.  “It’s alright, Adam.  Don’t fight it.”

            I stared at him, disbelief coloring my features.  “This is _anything_ but alright!  Unum, I thought you said I’d have a choice!  Why are you forcing me into this now?”

            “I’m sorry, but you’re an empath, the most powerful we’ve found in all the world, and currently, the only one,” he reminded.  “You’re simply too rare to let go.  And now we have a way to bring you into a Shard trio without having to break you first!  It will be quick, Adam, I promise.  Just relax, and you’ll be integrated before you know it.”

            “No!  Don’t integrate me, please!”  I hated myself for the tears that I couldn’t stop.  But not even Breaker had made me feel so helpless.  Breaker had tortured my body and toyed with my mind, but he hadn’t been able to break me.  This was worse, far worse, because I knew what integration would do to me.  Between what Unum had told me and what Breaker had explained, I understood it all.  I knew I’d be drawn in with two other minds, and that a part of what made me me would be destroyed in the process.  I’d emerge a different person, part of an integrated whole with my memories, but the integration itself in control.  When I’d learned this, it horrified me.  What would happen to me, to Adam Levine?  Would I be aware somehow, a prisoner locked inside of my own mind?  Or would I simply cease to exist, leaving only the integrated being I’d become? 

            After they’d rescued me, I’d sensed that they were actually somewhat disappointed when they’d learned I hadn’t been broken.  It was clear that they desperately wanted me integrated.  I’d been frightened when I’d agreed to come back in, worried that they might try to finish the job of breaking me so I could then be integrated.  But it was the only way they would let me see Blake.  Now I was terrified.  Losing myself would be bad enough.  But what if I also lost Blake?  Would Blake even want me when I wasn’t human anymore, when I was no longer myself?  Why would he?  I’d be a monster, and the way that Breaker’s men had threatened him when I’d been taken, put guns to his head?  Even if he stayed, was willing to somehow forgive me for that, not even Blake could still love me if I wasn’t even human anymore.  The thought made the tears flow faster.  I struggled some more, my eyes pleading with Unum.  “Please don’t do this!  I want to go back to Blake!”

            “Very soon, he won’t matter anymore.  I’m very sorry.”  He was sorry, I could feel it, but he was also determined.  The fact that he’d just touched on my greatest fear didn’t even seem to register.  “Adam, there are a couple of people here who desperately need what only you can provide.  If you don’t help them, they won’t last much longer.”

            “No, let me out!”

            “Adam, this is going to happen now,” Unum said.  His tone was apologetic, yet firm.  He stroked my face and sighed.  “My lovely empath, I’m sorry.  But you don’t have a choice any longer.”

            Once more, I could sense his desire for me.  I’d known early on that he found me attractive.  That was something I’d gotten used to over the years.  He’d never made a move or did anything to make me uncomfortable.  But the way he touched me now, the look in his eyes, the way he called me “My lovely empath?”  He was acting like he owned me, like I was somehow his property or about to be, and I wouldn’t have that.  I grew still, made my eyes hard.  “What are you doing?  Don’t touch me!  Let me out, or leave me alone!”

            He flushed in embarrassment and quickly dropped his hand.  Then he straightened.  I sensed his shame over my rejection, and his anger at being denied, and knew I’d just made things worse.  “We are going to integrate you, Adam, with or without your consent,” he declared.  “It really is best if you don’t fight.”  Unum nodded to Elton.  “Bring them in.  Let’s get them restrained and so we can begin.”

            Elton stepped out and returned with two men.  Like the Project Leaders, their eyes glowed green, and I could sense the Shard presence inside of them.  It was strong, stronger than anything I’d sensed in anyone except Breaker and Unum.  The first barely looked old enough to drink.  He looked at me, his eyes full of regret as he passed by.  “I’m sorry, brother,” he said quietly.  His accent sounded British.  I wondered what he was sorry for?  He seemed as much a prisoner as I was.

            The second man was older and shorter than the first, but he looked decidedly less healthy.  His hair had fallen out in patches, leaving odd clumps here and there on his head.  His face was drawn, his body gaunt.  I wondered if he had cancer?  He stopped and put his hand on my cheek.  I flinched away at first, but quickly realized that his touch was somehow healing me.  The relief was wonderful.  Strength returned to my battered body, but it did me no good.  Even fully healed and straining with the strength born of adrenaline, I couldn’t get free from the clamps.  “Help me!” I begged the man.  “I don’t want to do this, they’re forcing me!  Please let me out?”

            The man didn’t answer.  He looked like he was somehow drugged.  His eyes were dead as he walked away, heading towards two other chairs identical to my own that stood near me.  The first man was already at his chair.  He didn’t look like he wanted to be in it any more than I did, and his eyes pleaded as he looked at Elton.  But Elton never hesitated.  More popcorn sounds rang out as Elton pushed him back into it and his clamps snapped shut.  He didn’t resist.  Secured, the young man leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and sighed in resignation as Elton applied his electrodes.  It looked like he’d lost his will to fight long ago.

            Murray was pushing the unresisting man who’d healed me into his chair.  Once his clamps snapped shut, she applied his electrodes.  Then she moved forward and tried to kiss him.  He turned his face away, expressionless.  Murray settled for kissing his cheek before moving back and returning to her clipboard.  Meanwhile, Unum had applied electrodes to his own head and was waiting near the column, a picture of impatient excitement.

            My stomach turned as I eyed my fellow prisoners.  I couldn’t sense anything but the slightest bit of emotion from either of them, not even the healer after Murray tried to kiss him.  Was this what I had in store, looking like these two zombies, just going through the motions?

            “No!”  I struggled again, throwing my body forward and making the chair shake slightly.  “Let me out!  I don’t want to do this!  I want to go home!  Let me go!”

            “Enough, Adam,” Murray called.  “Elton, let’s go.  Unum, you ready?”

            “Of course.”  Unum waited until the two were gone.  Then he pressed a button on the metal column in the center of the room.  The column slid up into the ceiling, revealing what was inside.  I could feel them, the shards, resonating in my cells, the foreign code in my DNA responding involuntarily.

            “Alright we’re in position and getting readings,” Elton’s voice called over the intercom.  “Unum, you can start whenever you’re ready.”

            Unum held his hand over the three crystalline shards.  One of them, the bottom, sang to me like nothing else ever had.  I whimpered, sagging against the clamps that held me in place.  I’d never survive this!  The shard was pulling so hard, dragging me in, and I couldn’t help but fight and it was killing me, my mind was going to break…

            “One!” Unum called.  “Now!”

            I could feel the young man’s power.  I’d already guessed he was a telepath, and I flinched, expecting him to try to force me into integration.  But his power was directed not at me, but at Unum.  Unum rose up on his toes, his head tilted to one side, an expression of ecstasy on his face.  Then I sensed Unum’s power rise, and the terrible pull on my mind ceased.  Unum’s entire body glowed, the green light filling the room, filling my senses.  I could sense the other two prisoners responding even as I did.  Once more, I was being drawn in, but this was different.  I wanted to fight, to resist, and discovered I couldn’t.  My body was responding, my mind opening, but I was somehow simply shunted aside, held prisoner inside of my own body.  My mind was being invaded now, the essence of my self being shunted even further aside.  I felt as if I was being hollowed out, parts of me destroyed to make way for something else.

            Then the invading presence in my mind touched the edge of the one thing that mattered more to me than anything else. 

            _No!_

            My power surged, rising up to protect my memories of Blake.  _Blake was sitting in the field of wildflowers, his eyes so blue as he tried to deny his feelings, and oh, how I loved him, even though he was hurting me so much.  I tried so hard, made him so angry, but I couldn’t wait forever.  I wasn’t unwilting…_

But I was.  I could be, for him.  Blake and Blake alone had gotten me through seven days of hell with Breaker.  Blake and Blake alone could save me now.  For him, I would wait an eternity.  And nothing, I vowed, not even the shards, could ever take him away!  I held tight to my emotions, the love and pain alike, and wrapped them around my memories of Blake like a protective cocoon.  It encompassed everything, creating a safe made of emotion that even I couldn’t open.  I put in my memories of Blake, my love for him, and then, as I felt myself slipping away, I included the final essence of who I really was, wrapping it in emotion as well.  I locked the door tight.

            And then I was gone, drawn into integration.

****

            My name was Shard Seven, and I was an enhanced psionic operative for the Company.  But I wasn’t alone.  My new brothers welcomed me so eagerly, needed me so desperately.  Unum had been right.  I welcomed my brothers into my mind.  They drew me in, moving to fill the new emptiness in my mind even as I felt myself drawn into theirs.  We were whole, complete at last.

            Father smiled through Unum’s face, his glowing eyes fixed on me.  “Welcome home, my empath.”

            “Unum?”  Murray’s voice.  “You need to come back to us now.”

            Father shuddered.  The shards seemed to gleam, and Unum gasped.  “I’m back,” he said.  “Did it work?”

            “Congratulations!” Elton called.  “We have an integrated Shard trio!”

            “One and Five are already stabilizing.  Well done, Unum!”

            I could feel my brothers getting stronger, drawing hard on me.  I gave them all they needed and felt them stir, felt their emotions return.  Five was blinking like a man awakening from a coma, and One was nearly overcome with his relief.  One had been afraid he would lose Five, and Five was dying, letting his own life slip away through sheer apathy.  They’d been on the verge of giving up completely.  Now I could feel the strength that flooded them both.  I smiled, so happy I could help them.

            But then I looked at Unum, and suddenly I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  The man wasn’t blessed physically.  He was gangly and scrawny, with hawk-like features.  But to me, he was Aphrodite.  As I looked at him, I felt a nearly overwhelming sensation of love.  I made a small noise as I pulled against my restraints, trying to reach him.  Fortunately, he saw the look in my eyes and his own eyes grew wide with surprise.  My empathy had grown exponentially.  For the first time, I realized I could affect others.  I focused on Unum, and he moved forward, responding to the emotion I was sending him.  I let him feel what I was feeling.  He came up to me, raised a shaking hand and gingerly touched my cheek.  I sighed in bliss, closing my eyes and turning my head to kiss his long fingers.  He let out a little “Oh!” of surprise and delight and brought up his other hand, stroking my hair and my face as I leaned into his touch.

            “Take your hands off of him, Unum!”  The voice was hoarse, sounding like it hadn’t been used in some time, and it came from my right.  I turned and blinked at Five in confusion.  My brother was glaring at Unum, straining against his restraints, and his reinforced chair was creaking in protest.  “Leave my brother alone!”

            “You want me!”  Unum’s voice was full of wonder as he continued to caress my face and my hair.  “Oh, my darling empath, you are so beautiful!  Look at you, look how responsive you are to my touch!  You want me!”

            “He wanted another just a moment ago!”  This was One.  Like Five, he was upset, frowning in disapproval.  “Let Seven be, Unum!  This isn’t him!”

            “But I love him!” I protested.  Part of me, buried deep, still longed for Blake.  But Blake wasn’t here now.  Unum was, and oh, how I loved him!  The joy that filled his face now made my heart sing.

            “Well!” Elton called through the speakers.  “I’d say we know for certain now the effect integration has on an empath.  Good thing Unum likes men, or this would be really awkward.”

            “It’s the effect on the other two that interests me,” Murray’s voice countered.  “One has stabilized, but Five’s recovery is absolutely remarkable!”  Her voice grew cloyingly sweet.  “Hello, my darling Five!” she cooed.  “I’ve missed you!”

            “Damn you, Murray!” One yelled.  “Five turned you down twice already!  Now he’s finally back to himself, do you honestly believe he will want you now?”

            “Not a chance, you sick bitch!” Five snarled.  “Don’t you ever try to touch me again!”

            “Ouch,” Elton called.  “I don’t think loverboy wants you, Murray.”

            “Once Seven stabilizes, he won’t want you either, Unum,” One pressed.  “He’s just overwhelmed right now.  Stop touching him!”

            “Nonsense!” Unum snapped.  He carded his hands through my hair, and I smiled, ducking my head closer to him.  “Look at him!  He’s so beautiful, and he wants me!  He just told me he loves me!”

            “Seriously, Unum?” Five exclaimed.  “You just integrated him!  He doesn’t even have full control of his own powers yet, and he couldn’t consent to this if he tried!  Leave him alone!”

            I was in heaven, thrilling to Unum’s touch, but he paused, frowning at my brother’s words.  “Don’t stop!” I begged.  I pulled against my restraints.  “Let me out, Unum.  Let me touch you!”

            Elton whistled in amazement.  “Holy shit, that’s incredible!  The integration has total control!  Whoa, hold it, Unum, don’t you dare let him go!  You can play with him later if he still wants it, but you’re not finished yet.”

            Unum had been reaching for the controls on my chair, intent on freeing me.  I whined in frustration as he turned towards the cameras, scowling.  “What is it now?”

            “Two things.  First, do you think you could take on the entity again?”

            Unum nodded.  “Yes.  One’s assistance in expanding my mind so I could hold it seems permanent.  I can’t maintain it for long, but I should have no problem for multiple short periods of time.”

            “Elton, that is very good thinking,” Murray congratulated.  “Unum, One and Five are up to 80% alignment with the Shard integration, which is probably their baseline.  Meanwhile, Seven is currently at 100%.  Do you think you could bring the other two up, get them all completely aligned at the same time?  That would pull them deeper into their integration, and would likely result in a significant increase in power level, as well as total control of all three.”

            I could feel a cold wave of fear from my brothers.  I frowned at them, wondering what was wrong?

            “Don’t!” One was pleading.  “Please, don’t drag us further into this!”

            “Come on!” Five added, his voice shaky.  “We’re fine the way we are.  Just let us go, huh?  We can integrate with Seven on our own!”

            Unum, my wonderful Unum, was walking away from me, looking thoughtfully at my brothers.  “I believe I could,” he said.  “That would solidify their connection with my empath, wouldn’t it?  Make him far less likely to slip away the way Six did!”

            “Judging by Seven’s reaction to you now, I’d wager that it will also make them like you a hell of a lot more, Unum,” Elton added.  “I say do it.”

            “I concur,” Murray agreed.

            My brothers were panicking now, struggling and begging to be let out, pleading with Unum not to pull them further into integration.  Their actions were familiar.  I’d been doing that earlier.  What for?  It didn’t matter.  My brothers needed me now.  One’s face was pale and his body shook in fear.  Five, meanwhile, was furious, screaming, swearing and threatening my Unum.  I couldn’t understand why they were so upset.  I could hear their thoughts, their fear that Unum would make us slaves, permanently alter us and force us even further into something we weren’t.  It made no sense to me.  I reached out to them, instinctively calming them both, and their eyes immediately went to me, wide with surprise.  “Unum won’t hurt us,” I soothed.  “Don’t fight.  It will be alright.”

            And a moment later, when Father pulled the three of us into full alignment for the first time, it was.  I just couldn’t understand why they screamed, or why one of those screams hurt my throat.


	28. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and the brothers must deal with the things they've just learned

            Blake blinked, coming back to himself as Adam's powerful, painful memory lost its grip and reality returned.  His heart pounded, and his face was wet with tears.  The memory of Adam's screams still rang in his ears.  Blake would have gladly given up five years of his own life or gone through it all himself rather than have Adam go through that.  Worse, he'd just had to go through it again, re-experiencing his own memory as if living through it for the first time.  Blake's eyes, fixed on Adam's face, could see the pale, stricken expression, the horror in the hazel eyes, and the tears that streaked his cheeks in the light of the rising sun.  Adam shuddered and closed his eyes.  His fists clenched.  He took a deep breath and mopped at his face with his sleeve.

            "He did it for me," Five insisted.  "Six slit her own throat to kill herself.  I was right there, trying to heal her, but she resisted me.  I'd never had anyone actively try to block my healing before, didn't even know it was possible.  So I was there, trying to use my power on her when she died.  One and I both felt her go, but only I could really sense what happened with her body.  I felt how everything shut down, how her life ebbed away, and I understood it.  After she died, I got away from Breaker, got to One, but I was right back to being this zombie again, even with One there.  We both knew what we'd lost.  One had experienced what it was to lose an empath twice, but for all my physical strength, I was never as strong as he is.  I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Six, and how she was free of this.  It wasn't a conscious effort to commit suicide, not really.  But I started to reproduce the changes that I'd sensed when she died in my own body.  I just didn't care anymore, didn't want to go on like that, numb, empty.  That's why One did it, Seven, Blake, don't you understand?  He couldn't be alone again.  He was desperate to save me!"  His blue eyes pleaded with them for understanding.  "It's my fault, not his!"

            "No.  I did it, and the blame is mine.  It always has been.  Seven?"  One's voice was small, barely even a whisper.  "Do you hate me now, brother?  I couldn't blame you if you did."

            "What?"  Adam turned to regard the telepath.  "One, what have you done?"

            "You saw what I did!  I expanded Unum's mind, hollowed out parts of it to make it possible for him to create Father.  And because of that, you were forced into integration.  You lost everything because of me, brother!  And then, once you became Shard Seven, I don't understand why, but you immediately fell for Unum.  So I even took away the man you really loved!"  Pain-filled grey eyes turned to Blake.  "I'm so sorry, Blake.  Because of what I've done, even now, when my brother knows he really loves you, it can't last.  Once the repairs are made, we'll be recalled to LB1 and reintegrated, and then Seven will love Unum again.  And he wants to marry my brother now!  He'll do it, once we're reintegrated he'll marry Seven and Five and I will agree with it and by the time we drop out of alignment and realize it's wrong it will be too late and you'll have lost him forever and…"

            Blake grabbed One's shoulders and gave him a shake.  "Stop!"

            One immediately grew silent, following Blake's eyes as he looked at Adam.  Adam's pale face had gone even paler.  Without a word, he stood up, wrapping his arms protectively around himself, and walked a few steps away.  He turned, put his back to one of the posts of the gazebo, and leaned against it with his side to the others.  With his head bowed, he stared at the ground.

            Blake leaned closer to One and spoke quietly so that Adam couldn't hear.  "Listen to me.  I don't hate you, alright?  But your brother needs a moment.  He just had one hell of a blow, but I honestly don't believe that you caused it, buddy.  Will you let me talk to him for a moment?"

            One nodded.  Blake got up, pulled One to his feet, and gently steered him towards Five.  Five quickly pulled One to the bench next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulder, nodding to Blake.  Blake nodded back.  Then he moved to Adam.

            Adam refused to meet his eyes.  Blake crooked his finger and used it to lift his chin.  "The next time I see Unum?  I swear I will break his fucking face."

            Adam forced a small smile.  "You're more likely to break your hand.  He's got the chi element, remember?"

            "Worth it."  Blake pulled Adam into his arms.  Adam didn't resist.  "Baby, listen to me.  I cannot imagine what you are feeling right now.  But when you came back, after Breaker took you away?  I swore to you that whatever happened, we'd face it together.  And that still stands."

            "But One's right!" Adam exclaimed, leaning against Blake's chest.  "Unum will reintegrate me and then he'll marry me because I'll love him again!  I think he would have done that last time if he hadn't been busy getting us set up with Uno's trio.  This time, he'll ask me for sure, and…"

            "…And this time, I'll be there, won't I?  Because he's taking me now, too, isn't he?  This fucking watch he put on me, it's the same thing you guys have.  When he takes you, he'll take me as well."

            "And we still don't know why!" Adam countered.  "But he'll probably just throw you into containment.  You won't be able to stop him from marrying me, Blake."

            "I do not give a shit.  Adam, you know I believe in marriage, but if he goes through with this, it's not any more real than any other part of your bullshit 'relationship' that you have with him.  This whole damned time, he's only taken advantage of you.  You never loved him!  You love me.  And no damned piece of paper signed by your integration is going to change that.  Besides, Elton told me a few things that lead me to believe I'm not going to be tossed into a containment cell.  Is he trustworthy?"

            "Elton?  Yeah, to a point.  He's a bastard, always doing his damned psych experiments, but he's probably the best of the three.  That's not much of a recommendation, trust me, but you could probably believe whatever he told you."

            "Then I think Unum and I are going to be spending a lot of time together.  That son of a bitch has made a bad enemy out of me, baby, and I'm already thinking about spending a long afternoon sitting in a lawn chair with a cold one, watching him squirming while staked out on an ant hill covered in honey…"

            "You're a bad man, Blake Shelton!"

            "I am when someone hurts you, you're damned right!"  Blake knew he'd raised his voice when Adam flinched, but he didn't care.  "That piece of shit knew you weren't yourself, knew you didn't really want him.  He knew it was your empathy talking, and he still…!"

            "Wait, what?  What do you mean my empathy talking?"

            "You don't love him, Adam.  The bottom line is that you'd already told him to leave you alone.  Then he took advantage of you once you were integrated!  That made everything he did with you…"

            "Don't!"  Adam's voice was sharp.  "Don't say it, Blake.  I cannot deal right now with the fact that the things we did together…  That I couldn't really consent because I wasn't in control, alright?  Besides, what difference does it make?  I'm never really in control!  Even now, I'm not in control.  You saw what happened to me, you know how it is!  Elton said my brothers and I are all at 80% alignment right now, which is the lowest we go.  But when the Project Leaders order us, the part of us that's integrated is inclined to obey.  You don't understand how much effort it takes to fight against that, Blake.  We can argue, and when we're this low we typically do, but it's so hard to fight our integration!  The closest any of us has come to actually fighting Unum was the time Five threw something at him after he'd kept us separated for days with those damned containment fields.  And as soon as he did that, Unum just overpowered him, held him against the wall with his fucking telekinesis until I could calm him down.  Then I had to talk Unum down to keep him from locking my brother up again!  He is just so much stronger than any of us…"

            "He's not, actually, but we'll talk about that later, alright?  Trust me, Adam.  I will _not_ let Unum marry you, and if he tries it, it will be the last mistake he ever makes.  I swear it!"

            Adam's eyes widened.  "Blake!  You can't fight Unum!  What the hell are you thinking?"

            Blake knew how he probably looked.  His eyes were full of fury, his lips were curled back into a snarl, and his teeth were clenched.  He couldn't recall when he'd ever been more angry in all his life.  If Unum appeared right now, Blake might have cheerfully murdered him.  He closed his eyes, took a few breaths to calm himself, and smiled at Adam.  "Just know that I will do whatever I have to do to protect you, alright?"

            "I know.  Look, for what it's worth?  Unum was good to me.  He did care, Blake.  He took advantage of me and I can't forgive that.  And we always had some problems, especially the way he treated my brothers.  But he does care about us, and he really did love me.  I'm sorry things couldn't have been different.  If it happens, if he does marry me?  It won't be so bad."

            "Bullshit.  You don't love him, and if he marries you, it's a shotgun wedding, Adam.  You don't want to do it!  That's all that matters, and I refuse to let it happen, or to let your fucking integration keep trying to talk you into it like it's doing right now.  Do you even hear yourself?"

            "I do," Adam confessed.  "But I can't help it, Blake.  My integration is the part that's in control of me.  It always is, and it still wants Unum!"

            "I don't give a shit.  If anyone marries you, it's going to be me.  In fact…"  Blake dropped to one knee and held Adam's hand.  "Adam Noah Levine, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.  Will you marry me?"

            Adam's eyes went wide with surprise.  Then they filled with tears.  He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.  He cleared his throat.  "I need to officially break up with Unum first," he managed at last.  "I've known that since we talked in our base camp.  That's actually why I didn't, you know, let you do anything last night.  I wanted to talk to him face to face, but after what I saw, what he did to me and how much I changed?  I'm afraid I won't be able to."

            "Adam, he doesn't deserve a minute more of your time!"

            "I know!" Adam exclaimed.  "I don't understand why I feel the way I do about him.  His telepathy, maybe.  Whatever it is, I don't know if I can resist it face to face.  But right now, I want it officially over between us.  So I'll call him when I go back inside, tell him it's over when he can't affect me.  But after that?"  He clutched tightly to Blake's hand.  "Yes, Blake.  If you want me, I'll marry you.  Yes!"

            "Then it's going to be quick.  I'll get on it, get a license, and make you legally mine as soon as I possibly can," Blake vowed, getting back up to embrace Adam again.  "And Unum can fuck himself sideways with a cactus."

            "Blake!"

            "Even if he gets a paper signed before I do, you promised me, first," Blake pointed out.  "Think your integrated self can remember that?"

            "I…  Yeah, I think so!"  For the first time, a faint light of hope began to shine in Adam's eyes.  "But I'll still love Unum once he reintegrates me."

            "We'll deal with that.  Meanwhile, I think you need to talk to your brother."

            Adam looked over.  One and Five were smiling as they watched, but both clearly appeared anxious.  Five's arms were wrapped protectively around his youngest brother, and One was watching Adam with his heart in his eyes.

            Adam gently pulled free from Blake, letting his hand linger for a moment in Blake's before he returned to sit on the bench across from his brothers.  "One?" he began.  "You're my brother.  The fact that you weren't born that way doesn't change it, or the way I feel about you and Five, ok?"

            One nodded silently, his eyes locked on Adam's.

            "What happened that day, how I was integrated?  I know how much you needed me.  Hell, I can get proof of that just from being around Uno and Dos!  They're so desperate to have a stable empath that they're willing to fight you and Five for me.  When I was brought in, you two didn't have an empath at all for way too long, and Five was dying.  So I get it, alright?  I understand why you did what you did.  I know how much it cost you.  I could only imagine how hard it's been for you all this time!  How did you manage to keep it from me?"

            "It wasn't easy," One confessed.  "My nightmares, I have as many about that day as I do about Breaker, and it took conscious effort to keep them out of our integrated memory.  But that was all I could do for you!  Just keep my nightmares out of our memory, so you'd never have to hear yourself scream."  His head bowed.  "I've no right to ask your forgiveness, Seven."

            Adam reached for One's hand.  "You don't have to ask.  I forgive you, of course I forgive you, baby brother, I love you!"

            One's body sagged in relief.  Adam stood back up, pulled One to his feet and drew him into a tight hug.  Five let out his pent-out breath in a woosh and jumped up, wrapping his arms around them both.  They smiled and drew him in, standing together in a tight circle of support.

            Blake watched the three for a moment.  Then he turned and started for the house.

            "Blake!"

            It was One.  The telepath came running after him, and Blake turned around just in time to get glomped.  Blake laughed in surprise, embracing the young Englishman back.  "Nice, but what's this for?" he asked.

            "For forcing the issue," One explained, shyly pulling away.  "For making us face up to what really happened, and giving us a real chance to heal from it.  But Blake?"  His face was serious now.  "You didn't get what you needed!  Adam Levine chose his name from behind that barrier he created with his empathy, and I couldn't reach it.  You'd need another empath for that.  But I don't think Three can help, and the only other option might be Dr. Murray."

            "That bitch won't help," Adam growled.  He and Five had come up after One.  "She hates me."

            "I might be able to persuade her somewhat," Five offered, clearly unhappy.

            "Not a chance!" One snapped sharply.  "She'll keep her hands off of you."

            "I already had to agree to spend some quality time with her once we got back to LB1," Five confessed.  "It was the only way she'd agree to let Hardwire drop the containment field on us, so Blake could try to reach Seven."

            Both brothers began yelling at him.  Five raised his hands.  "What else could I do?  She wouldn't let it happen any other way, and Blake needed his chance!"

            "Based on this and what I saw in Adam's memory that One showed us, I'm seeing a rather highly one-sided relationship between you and this Dr. Murray, Five," Blake commented.

            "There's no relationship," Five scoffed.  "She took on the empathy portion, which lets her sense and, to a much lesser degree than what Seven and Three can do, manipulate emotions.  But she's basically numb so far as her own emotions go, almost as blunted as we are without an empath.  The only thing she really seems to feel is love, well, more like lust, honestly.  She tries very hard to get me to sleep with her, but she's not looking for a relationship.  After Seven joined us and I was myself again, I tried talking to her, and unfortunately made it worse.  She's obsessed with me, but mostly she just likes cow… boys…"

            Every eye was on Blake.  "Ok!" Blake called.  "I will bear that in mind.  Why's she hate Adam?"

            "Murray does physical experiments, practical application of science," Adam explained.  "She wants to use our individual powers to create items that can be used by anyone, like the blurs she made One make that can hide your appearance?  She came up with those by poking and prodding One, experimenting with his powers."

            "She had me charge up some Safe classified tech that she'd come up with, after Hardwire calibrated it," One supplied.  "There's a limited charge and limited range, so I have to make more as they're used up.  In fact, when we go out today on our mission, Elton will have to give us all new ones."

            "You've got a mission?  Did not know that.  Anyway, continue."

            "She had us all charge items like that.  Five made the silly putty."

            "It's not actually silly putty, of course," Five corrected.  "It's just what everyone calls it, because it's pink.  You shove it in a wound and it converts to the surrounding tissue.  It uses stem cells, so it's probably the most expensive piece of tech we make."

            "And what did she want you to make, Adam?"

            "What else?  Love potion number nine!" Adam sighed.  "She wanted me to make an aphrodisiac.  I refused, because the last thing I wanted to do was make a rape drug!  She put me on report, I got forced into making a prototype, and she immediately used it on Five.  But I got her, Blake.  I knew what she was going to do, so I got together with Hardwire and made a second, far more powerful aphrodisiac out of her bedpost."

            "It was very, very potent," Five recalled with a grin.  "Even I was having ideas about that bedpost.  It looked fine as hell, man, I mean, _damn_ , brother!  Sexiest thing I've ever seen.  I still have thoughts about it sometimes."

            "Then I just shielded Five and we both walked out while she, um, got to know that bedpost better.  She stayed in her quarters for three days, Five had to heal her afterwards, and the board had absolute proof that the project was more detrimental than anything else.  And she's hated me ever since.  Of course, her big complaint now is that I keep falling out of integration, and I'm not a fit operative because of that.  But when she really pisses me off, I just mimic the way she walked after three days with that bedpost and that pretty much ends the conversation."

            Blake blinked.  Then he burst out laughing.

            "Yeah, well, I'll take one for the team at any rate," Five sighed.  "Especially if it distracts her from you, Blake.  Not the first time I've slept with that bitch."

            "It better be the last," One grumbled.  "Last time it was to get her to stop forcing me to work until I dropped, making all those blurs with Hardwire.  This time it's payment to help Blake.  Don't you think you've rather taken enough hits for the team?  You must stop making yourself a wench for us, brother!"

            "Waiting to hear a better option, believe me!  I can only manage because she's actually damned good-looking.  But I cannot stand the bitch and I don't stay any longer than I have to."

            "Yeah, well, you won't 'have to' at all," Blake declared.  "You're not sleeping with this woman if you don't want to, Five, end of story."

            "I already agreed to do it!"

            "I don't give a shit!  You're not selling yourself to this bitch, Five.  I'll deal with all three of your wonderful Project Leaders, starting with the son of a bitch inside the house."

            "Elton?"  Five shook his head.  "Not a good idea, buddy."

            "Blake?" One began.  "You need to be very careful.  The Project Leaders are very powerful, and…"

            "He's already talking about staking Unum to an ant hill and watching from his lawn chair with a cold one," Adam sighed.

            Five brightened.  "Can I hold your cold one while you pour honey on him?"

            "Yup!"

            One groaned.  "Bloody twit!  You're not helping, Five!"

            "One, I would pay to see that!  Especially since, as much as I hate to burst our happy bubble we've got going on here, we all know what's going to happen once he reintegrates us."

            That immediately depressed all four of them.  "You know you guys can fight him?  Unum, I mean?" Blake called.  "He's not stronger or more powerful than you, and Adam, you've never been in love with him!"  Blake explained what Elton had told him, about how each of them saw Unum as the ultimate manifestation of their own power.  "That's why Adam only loved Unum while he was integrated," he finished.  "And why I have no qualms at all about asking Adam to marry me."

            "I still need to break it off with him," Adam sighed.  "Even though I finally understand now what's really going on, I can't help what I still feel."

            "I'll be there with you when you call him, if you want?" Blake offered.

            Adam shook his head.  "No.  I need to know that I can stand up to him, and I need to do that alone."

            Five's eyes shone as he smiled at Adam.  "Finally!  Fucking finally!"

            Adam smiled back.  "I'm going to go in and call him right now, ok?  It's still way too damned early for anyone else to be up, so why don't you guys get some more rest?"

            "Gladly," One sighed.  "I'm knackered, especially after all that."

            "Then I'll see you guys a little later," Blake said.  "We still have a lot more to talk about, but I think we've all had enough for now."

            They didn't answer.  Three sets of eyes stared into Blake's.  He could only wonder what it was they saw when they looked at him.

****

            Elton was waiting in Blake's room when he returned.  The country singer had hoped he would be.  When Blake entered, Elton immediately got to his feet.  "Any results with One?" he asked.

            "Yeah," Blake said, smiling.  He was still smiling when he punched Elton hard in the mouth, sending the smaller man flying backwards to land with a thud on the floor.  He followed up with a hard kick to the Project Leader's side before jumping onto the other man, fists pounding away.  "You _motherfucker!_   You let that happen to Adam?  You had your thugs drag him into that room and shove him into that chair!  You let it happen to them all, and you fucking _helped!_   You were right there, urging Unum on, getting him to drag them farther in, enslave them more, make them all into something they're not!  You're the reason for all of it, you three pieces of shit!"

            Elton, oddly enough, was making no move to defend himself.  Blood flowed from his nose as Blake continued to pound at him.  "Yeah, that's true," he called between blows.  "Do your worst, Shelton, I know damn well I got it coming, alright?  But you'll learn eventually."

            "Learn what?"

            "That it's best not to think of them as human."

            Blake's hands locked around Elton's throat and tightened.  "I don't care!  I love Adam, it doesn't matter what you've done to him, and I'm going to marry him!"

            Elton's voice rattled in his throat.  "You can have him," he gasped.  "You can have them all!  I told you that!"

            "Dammit, I won't have them as slaves!  There's got to be another way!"

            "There isn't.  You're gonna choke me out in a minute, boss, so if you want to talk, you might want to maybe stop?"

            Blake let go of Elton's throat.  He got up, grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, and slammed him hard against the wall.  Elton's head bounced off the wall and he winced.  "Ow.  Does this mean I don't get the job?"

            "I cannot fucking believe you!"  Blake turned and threw Elton across the room, letting the man fall in a sprawl on the floor.  "I refuse to accept that there's no way to pull them out of their integration without killing him.  And I will find it, dammit!"

            "Fine.  Then I'll help you."  Elton picked himself up off of the floor.  "But I'm serious.  You keep thinking of them as human, and you're going to just run yourself into the ground going in circles.  You need to accept what they really are, because that's the only way you can help them.  But I still want that job.  I want to be your right hand man, and if this is what you want?  Fine.  I'll help you find a way.  I don't think there is one, but I'm the guy who will help you look."

            Blake stared at Elton.  Blood dripped from his battered face and the back of his head.  His clothing was mussed.  Blake's own hands were bloody and torn.  But despite his battered appearance, Elton didn't seem much worse for the wear.  The Project Leader's resilient body had allowed Blake to vent his rage, and now Blake was much calmer.  He realized that had likely been Elton's plan all along.  "Elton?" he began.  "I don't want a damned thing to do with you."

            "Oh, I know," Elton replied.  "I know you hate me right now and you'll try to stab me in the back the first chance you get.  But I still want the job.  And I believe that once you see how useful I am, how much I can help you, especially against Unum and Murray?  You'll come around."

            "You honestly think I'll forgive you for what you did to Adam?" Blake exclaimed, exasperated.

            "If I tell you the truth, you'll punch me again.  Even though you can't really hurt me, it's not fun."

            Blake took a menacing step closer.

            "Alright, alright!" Elton called, holding up his hands.  "The truth is, the more Shard affects you, the less you think like a human and the more you start taking on the values of Shard.  Our goal was, is, and remains to integrate more psionics into Shard trios.  Father wants an army, and what we are makes us want to give him one.  You think there's not a part of me that hates myself for what I've done, that cringes every time I look at the doc and see how miserable and trapped he is?"

            "You actually do care about Five!" Blake realized.

            "The doc's my friend, or at least the closest I got to one.  We get along, and I've told him shit I've never told anyone.  You get it, don't you, boss?  You feel the same way about him."

            "Yeah, I get it, but I'm still waiting for an answer.  How the fuck can you care about any of them, and still do what you do?"

            "What you don't seem to get is, I'm Shard, too.  The reason I want to be by your side is because frankly you're the best chance I got.  Letting myself be exposed to those shards was the biggest mistake I ever made, alright?  All I wanted was some resilience, the ability to be a better fighter.  Of the three of us, I have the least amount of Shard influence and that's precisely how I liked it.  But I've always watched my own readings, and I see what's happening to all three of us.  Every year, the Shard element has grown stronger.  The longer it goes on, the less we think like humans and the more we think like Father.  He's taking over, and I'm getting drawn in, Blake!  Now I'm just as trapped as the trios and I honestly do not care much for that.  You're a decent man, Blake.  If you become Father, you're my best chance for a decent one that maybe won't destroy the entire world!  And even if you let us all die, well, at least I'm out of it, right?  If you can find a way to free the trios, hell, maybe you can help me too?"

            "I hope to hell that you're not expecting me to feel bad for you, you son of a bitch."

            "Blake, I don't even feel bad for me, alright?  I did what I did for the science as much as Father's influence.  And I'll admit, that was amazing as fuck, seeing how much control Seven's integration had over him right from the start!  Shard Seven was the first one we actually monitored as he was integrated, and the before and after data…"

            Blake laid him out again.

            Elton picked himself back up with a wince.  "You have a really hard right, boss.  Look, hit me all you want, it's not like I can't take it.  But keep me at your side, if for no other reason than I'll never stab you in the back.  You'll always get honesty from me, boss.  And now I am going to leave and recover before you break my nose even worse than you already have.  You know where to find me.  I'm gonna let the troops entertain themselves a bit later tonight, see if I can't get some spirits up around here.  But breakfast first!  After that, we got an operation and you're coming along."

            "You call me 'boss,' beg for a job, and yet still think I'm under your command?  That's funny, Elton."

            Elton eyed him warily.  "We're taking out a big nest of Terra ops, probably the ones who have been after you recently.  You want me to divide my team, keep some back to watch you and lower the chances of those I take?  Because Project Honeybee is assigned to the alpha Shard trio, so they're taking point.  You want them there with less backup, stay here and put your feet up.  I'm offering you a chance to help.  You decide if you want to take it, boss."


	29. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam breaks up with Unum and returns to Blake, but there are consequences and decisions to be made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter is "Memories" by Within Temptation  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MApdNOeGFYQ

            Less than a minute after Elton left, there was a knock on Blake's door.  Blake had just thrown himself moodily down onto his bed and grumbled when he got up to answer it.  But he forgot everything else when he saw Adam's tear-streaked face.  "Adam!  Come in!"

            Blake drew Adam – his _fiancée_ – inside and sat on the bed, pulling Adam into his lap.  "Bad?" he asked softly.

            Adam nodded.  "I still feel like I love him, Blake.  I thought he'd be angry, yell at me, remind me again how he risked so much to save me from Breaker.  But he didn't.  He just asked me why?  So I told him what I remembered, and that it wasn't right, what he'd done to me, how he'd taken advantage of me to start a relationship he knew I didn't want.  I didn't even mention you, Blake.  He knew!  He knew I wanted you when he integrated me, right?"

            "You said it more than once!" Blake agreed.

            "He just sounded so _hurt,_ Blake," Adam said.  "He barely said a word, but I know he was crying.  He said it wasn't me talking right now, that it was Adam Levine and that he was sick and tired of that bastard interfering with us.  That it was time to do something about him.  I told him again that I knew I only believed I loved him because of my empathy, because I sensed the entity inside of him and my empathy made me see it as love.  But he said that it didn't matter, because that's what I really was, an empath, and that's how I was meant to see him.  I was Shard Seven, not Adam Levine, and Levine was past due to fade out.  And that was the only time he sounded angry."  He ran a shaking hand over his hair.  "I asked him what he meant, and he said that I'd come back to who I really was soon enough.  Then he just said he'd be waiting when I changed my mind and hung up."

            That made Blake grow still.  " _When_ you changed your mind?  That son of a bitch!  He knows what will happen when he reintegrates you, and he thinks he'll get you back!" 

            "And he's probably right!"  Adam shuddered.  "This is already tearing me apart, Blake.  I still care about him, and it's killing me to know how much I hurt him.  I don't know what's going to happen."

            Blake tightened his arms around Adam.  "What's going to happen is that if he pulls you back into integration, I'll just pull you back out again!"

            Adam looked at him in surprise.  "But we still don't know my true name!  Did you see more than I did?"

            "No," Blake confessed.  "But who picked your name?  Shard Seven, or Adam Levine?"

            "Adam Levine, the last thing he did.  But I didn't catch it.  It was something he did when he was burying his memories in that empathic safe!"

            "But we know now where to look, right?  Now, what is it going to take to get into that safe?"

            "Another empath, honestly," Adam sighed.  "But I don't know if Three's going to be able to help us much.  And the only other possibility is Dr. Murray, who hates my guts."

            "Well, we can try one or the other, but I'm not holding my breath either way.  Because honestly?  I thought about what I did see and hear, what was going through your head while you were being forced into integration.  And I think maybe I might have figured it out."

            "How?"

            "Because that name came from Adam Levine," Blake declared, "and no one knew Adam Levine better than I did."  He kissed Adam gently.  "Obviously, I'm not 100% certain, and this isn't something I'm going to play with, especially since you guys have to recharge before I can pull you out again.  I didn't forget my promise to One, either, which means if I can't find his name, I'll have to leave Five in for a bit longer.  But I swear, if Unum pulls you back into alignment with your integration and tries to take you back?  I'm trying to pull you out.  He's not taking you back, Adam.  And he's not touching you, not ever again!"

            Adam stared for a long moment at Blake.  And then Blake was flat on his back on the bed, Adam kissing him fiercely.  Blake chuckled and kissed him back.  There it was, the empathic loop, but oh, what was this?  Adam's hands were working at Blake's shirt, pulling it off, and his own was following.  Adam's hands were removing Blake's belt, opening the front of his pants and slipping his hand inside.  "Hey!" Blake called softly.  "You don't have to do this, baby."

            "I want to.  Please, Blake?  While I'm still me, I want this, just one time!"

            That ended any protest Blake might have come up with.  Their clothing was on the floor in an instant, Blake pressing Adam down on the bed and exploring every inch of the scar covered but still lovely body.  Adam was all over him as well, sucking on a nipple until Blake cried out, exploring with hands and lips, not holding still for a moment until Blake finally resorted to pinning him with his weight just to get a chance to explore for himself.  Holding his happily squirming lover in place, Blake kissed his way down Adam's chest and abdomen, found Adam's erection and drew him in, licking and sucking the way Blake himself liked.  He felt Adam's pleasure through the link and refined his technique until it was just right.  Adam whimpered and moaned, writhing as Blake wrapped his arms around his hips, working with lips and tongue until Adam finally managed to squirm free.

            Blake looked at him, confused until Adam pulled him close, drew his legs up and showed Blake his opening.  "Here," he urged.  "Please!"

            Blake moaned.  "Dresser!" he recalled.  "There's stuff, I found it poking around, let me get it…"

            Blake grabbed the lube.  Then he stared stupidly at it.  "I've never done this before with a guy," he confessed, shame-faced.  "I'm not sure, I mean, I don't want to hurt you!"

            The smile that Adam gave him made him feel weak.  "You want me to show you what to do?"

            Blake nodded.  "Yeah."

            "Then come here."  Adam took the tube of lube and put some on Blake's fingers.  Then he guided Blake's hand to his opening, showing Blake how to prep him, to gently press into him and stretch.

            Blake learned quickly, his skillful musician's fingers finding something amazing.  Adam gave a high keen, hands grabbing at the bedclothes, head thrown back.  Blake was soon adding a third and then a forth finger as Adam gasped and squirmed.  Even without the empathic link, Blake was amazed at how Adam responded.  With it, he nearly came just watching him.  But Adam suddenly raised himself up and grabbed Blake's hips, pulling him forward.  "Inside of me," he breathed.  "Now!"

            Blake climbed on top of him, lining himself up before gently pressing forward.  Adam gave a little cry, his pleasure echoing through their link, reveling as Blake plunged deeper, bottomed out, and then began thrusting.  Blake wrapped one arm around Adam's waist and used the other to bring Adam's mouth back to his.  Adam wrapped his arms around Blake's neck and locked his ankles around his waist.  He leaned forward, kissing and caressing him as he continued to thrust.  Then he got the angle just right and Adam nearly strangled Blake, clinging with a yelp of ecstasy that sizzled through the loop.  "Blake, right there, just like that, please!"

            "I got you, baby."  Blake continued to move, knowing he couldn't last, not like this, not with Adam so damned responsive and the most amazing, gorgeous thing he'd ever seen in his life.  And Adam, he knew, felt the same about him.  For a moment, their shared pleasure had shunted the integration aside, and it was just Adam and Blake now, together for the very first time.  And when their pleasure spiked and they came together as one, it was everything Blake had ever wanted.

****

            Blake knew that his eyes had changed again.  He lay, spent, with Adam in his arms, basking in the afterglow of their passion.  But he knew before Adam turned to him and his happy expression had changed to one of shock.  Blake could feel the change, feel the way his body responded to the Shard presence in the man he loved.  "I don't care," he whispered, holding his fingers to Adam's lips as he tried to speak.  "I swear I'll tell you everything I know, but you've had enough for one morning, alright?  You wanted this, us together, while you were still yourself.  And I wanted it while I was still me, too."

            Adam pulled Blake's fingers away from his mouth.  "You're changing.  This is why they want you, isn't it?  But you've never been exposed to Shard!  How could…"

            And then it dawned on him, and his beautiful face turned stark white.  Blake grimaced.  "It is _not_ your fault!"

            "The hell it isn't!  Every time I've been with you, you've changed!  It's me, isn't it?"

            "Baby, it's all of you, ok?" Blake confessed, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.  "That's why I've got two Shard trios around me now.  The more Shard presence around me, the faster I'm changing."  He got up, cleaned them both up.

            "Into what?" Adam pressed.  "What are you changing into?"

            Blake squeezed his eyes tightly shut.  "Into Breaker," he confessed.  And then he told Adam everything he knew.

            Adam grew very still.  For a long moment, he didn't say anything.  When Blake reached for him he startled, and Blake's heart fell.  But Adam quickly embraced him.  "Blake, don't let this happen to you," he begged.  "Just let me go, alright?  Break the shards, let us die, and you go on.  I could go through seven days of torture as long as I knew you were there, but I can't go on if you're changed into something else!  If Father takes control of you?"

            "I know!  I cannot stand to be the one who drags you back down into this.  But I don't want to lose you, either!  That's why I need to find another option, a way to free all of you that won't kill you.  Because I can't let you die, Adam, not like that, not when I can save you!"

            "But you wouldn't be saving me, you'd be saving Shard Seven!" Adam protested.  "You'd have little more than a mindless slave."

            "And that's worse than what Unum did to you and I refuse to do it!" Blake vowed.  "I won't lose you to your integration, Adam, I won't!"

            "At least I'd really love you," Adam said quietly.

            Blake got up and got dressed.  Adam did the same, his eyes distant.  Once he was dressed, he stood as he was, staring off into space while Blake watched, puzzled.  "You talking to your brothers?"

            "Yes.  I've been telling them all this."

            Blake nodded.  "Good.  What are they saying?"

            "That they're coming up."

            In fact, they were already at the door.  Blake opened it and Five and One came in.  Then they just stood there, Five with his hands shoved into his pockets, One slumped with his arms across his chest.  For a long moment, no one spoke.

            "Let me die," One said at last, breaking the silence.  "Honestly, it's probably not possible to bring me out of integration even if a way existed.  I already told you, I'm just too far gone."

            "I'm not much better," Five sighed.  "Let me go too, Blake, and see if you can save Seven."

            "I'm going to try to save you _all!"_ Blake insisted.  "You three got dragged further into your integration because Unum reintegrated you and brought you all up to full alignment at the same time, right?  So it stands to reason that if I can pull you all out at the same time, that will have a lasting effect, too!"

            "But we'll still be integrated, mate," One pointed out sadly.  "You saw what happened the last time you separated us, how we immediately integrated as soon as the field dropped?  That's likely what will happen again.  The instant one of us gives in and falls back into integration, he'll drag the others back in with him.  That one will most likely be me.  But even if I could somehow hold out, our bodies will automatically integrate every few days.  We do it voluntarily every night because if we don't, it will happen involuntarily soon enough."

            "He's right," Five sighed.  "When you pulled me out before, Blake?  I never told you how wonderful it was, that feeling of finally being able to think and feel on my own, to not be controlled anymore!  After all those years of being trapped by my integration, that taste of freedom was the best gift anyone could ever have given me.  But the whole time, I was feeling myself being dragged back in.  I had to fight as hard as I could to keep out for as long as I did, and I was right back under control even before the containment field dropped."

            "How much of that was the two of us, trying to drag you back?" Adam pointed out. 

            "Oh, I'd say most of it was the two of you," Five sighed.  "And I get it.  It's hard to even talk about this right now.  Part of me wants to just run out, and worse, part of me wants to have One take away Blake's memory of my true name so he can't ever pull me back out again!  I'm so sick and tired of being controlled!"

            "But look at us right now," Adam insisted.  "We've never all three been at minimal alignment at the same time before, and we're all working together, actively looking for a way out…"

            "And it hurts like hell!" One groaned.  "My sodding head is pounding!"

            "We all feel it, One.  You get used to it after a while," Adam assured.  "Take it from the guy who constantly falls out of alignment!  But you're missing the point.  The biggest obstacle Five faced when he was trying to stay out of integration was the fact that One and I were trying to drag him back in.  But if that wasn't happening, if we were all three out?  What if we could stand together and stave it off?"

            "We won't have a choice in the matter when our bodies force us to integrate," One said.

            "Dammit, One, we'll have at least a few days!" Adam cried, exasperated.  "Think about it!  A few days of freedom to help Blake find a way to make it permanent?  How could you not want that?"

            "Because I'm the weak link here!" One exclaimed.  "I'm the one who will fall back into integration the fastest, if I can even be pulled out at all.  I don't even respond to my original name, Seven, there isn't anything left of me!"

            "You're scared."

            "I'm fucking terrified!  Ah cheers, Seven, that helps.  Now I can think at least."  One rubbed at his temples.  "Doesn't change facts, though.  Trying to pull me out may be dangerous.  There may not be anything left of me but my integration and a few scattered memories of the man I used to be.  If that's the case, at best you'll pull out a drooling vegetable, at worst I'll immediately strike back!"

            "Five's only been in for a year less than you, and he seemed alright," Blake pointed out.

            "It's different for me, mate.  I'm a telepath," One explained wearily.  "My brothers are integrated through me.  I'm drawn the deepest into our integration simply because our We memory goes through me.  In fact, if you pull me out, there's a chance you could actually cause some level of harm to Five and Seven!"

            "We won't know until we try," Five countered.  "And we're trying, dammit.  I know that I refuse to leave you behind, One."

            "Same," Adam agreed.

            "And same here," Blake called.  "I'm not giving up, alright?  But I can't let you die.  If worst comes to worst, I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you alive.  At least that way, you'll have some chance to get away from this!"

            The Shard brothers went quiet for a moment.  Blake scowled.  "What?"

            "Blake?" One began.  "I've been integrated for so long that I don't even have the will to end my own life.  My only real desires are to keep a strong link with my brothers and follow my orders.  What I am is precisely what Father made in me, and it's precisely what my brothers have in store for them if this goes on.  Father isn't human, and he doesn't have human desires or best interests at heart.  And now he wants you!  Before you worry about pulling us out of this, you need to find a way to escape yourself, because you cannot let Father have you, Blake.  If he gets you?  He'll take over, keep integrating psionics and altering human DNA to make more until the whole bloody world is under his control!  You've got to stop it, mate.  And if that means breaking the shards and letting us die?  So be it!"

            "He's right," Five agreed.  "Break those fucking shards, Blake!"

            "I agree," Adam said, nodding.  "Break 'em."

            Blake felt weak.  He fell limply onto the bed.  "I don't know if I can!  Kill the three of you, and everyone else connected to those damned things just like that?  I'm not a murderer!"

            "It's your choice, of course," Five said unhappily.  "And there's still time.  If there's another way, we'll help find it.  But you know what we want now, while we're still ourselves enough to let you know."

            "It's hard to tell you that," Adam confessed.  "The part of me that's integrated wants to urge you to become Father.  Be prepared for that, Blake.  Because once Unum reintegrates us?  Everything's going to change again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been reading this thing to Mr. Fun, releasing my inner Elton and noting how he reacts to it. First time I've read one of my fanfics to the handsome husband, as he didn't care for the premise of "Spoils." But he's enjoying this one. So far, he hates Unum and has described colorfully what should be done to him (it involves folding), he loves the brothers especially Five, and he thinks there's too much sappy romance (which is funny because we both know he's a sucker for sappy romance). He's also identifying quite strongly with Blake, talking about what a "dick situation" he's in right now. The experiment continues...


	30. Operation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake goes on an operation with Shard, determined to pull his weight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The music here is diegetic again, and I highly recommend hearing it! To get the full effect, I recommend waiting until Elton starts playing it. I assure you, I didn't make a mistake with this link, this is really the song used here, and the voice is actually the one I imagine for this character!
> 
> Diegetic music:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUjJi0l_hOY
> 
> Translations:  
> Ne vous inquiétez pas - Don't worry  
> Aidez nous - Help us  
> Je suis ici, frère - I am here, brother

            Blake wasn't sure if he looked badass or just silly.  Elton had assured him it was the former, but considering he was wearing the same thing, Elton's opinion was likely biased.  The way the others smiled or rolled their eyes on seeing Blake in his new outfit made him strongly suspect the latter was more likely true.  All he knew for sure was that he was hot as hell, sweating his balls off in the heavy body armor.  At his size, Blake usually had to go to specialty shops to get clothing that fit, or have things made for him.  But Elton had now produced multiple full uniforms, including socks and underwear, body armor, and a helmet that all fit like it was tailor made.  Obviously, Elton had planned ahead.  Considering what he'd learned and the man's ambitions, Blake wasn't surprised.  He still didn't trust Elton, but had decided to accept the Project Leader's help for now. 

            Right now, Blake needed all the help he could get.  He knew One had shared what they knew with Uno and Dos at breakfast.  One had reported that they'd looked surprised, naturally, and that Uno had gone outside with Dos for some time afterwards, probably talking things over.  The two of them had been giving Blake long, distrusting looks all morning.  Blake couldn't blame them.  Considering what they'd all gone through at the hands of the last man who had served as a host to that portion of the Shard entity, Blake was amazed anyone in either trio was comfortable around him.

            Blake rubbed his weary eyes and caught sight of them in Elton's rearview mirror.  Their new aquamarine coloring still startled him.  Elton had assured him that Blake's readings had stabilized for now, and he wouldn't likely see much more change just from being around the integrated trios.  But while that had reassured the brothers a bit, Blake still wondered what would happen tomorrow when they would all head to LB1.  The repairs were nearly complete, Elton reported.  Hardwire would calibrate the transport pads tonight, and tomorrow, Unum could recall them.  But before that, Elton had one more operation to run.

            Adam sat next to Blake in the van.  Opposite Blake, Three was once again wrapped up against the other empath, his arm over her shoulders.  His hazel eyes looked troubled.

            "It's not your fault," Blake told him quietly.

            "The hell it isn't!  I'm the one who had, as Elton put it, 'extended contact' with you," Adam grumbled.  "I used my powers the whole time we were together, and I had no idea it would…"

            "Precisely.  You had no idea."  Blake squeezed his hand.  "Baby, I do not regret one damned minute of anything we did, do you hear me?  I'd do it all again in a heartbeat!  I needed it, needed you, and I'm grateful beyond belief that, no matter what happens from this point forward, I got to be with you one time."

            Adam smiled at him, but his eyes were sad as he studied Blake's.  "I told you that all I could give you was pain."

            "And I told you I'd take it."

            That earned Blake a kiss.  "I love you, you stupid idiot."

            "I love you too, jackass."

            Three watched this exchange with interest, her dark eyes on Blake.  It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.  Adam kissed the top of her head, and her eyes softened.  Blake hoped she wouldn't stab him today.  She was dressed, like the others, in a company uniform, although hers was bright red.  Apparently, she wouldn't wear anything that wasn't red.  But as it was a full operation, they'd given her back her knives.  Blake said a quick prayer that she'd remember to stick them into enemies only.

            Elton had apparently reached his destination.  The group piled out.  Blake's new outfit came with several pistols that he'd already checked and pre-loaded.  Elton handed him a high-powered rifle and several clips of ammo to add to this arsenal.  "You're right by my side during this, no more than six feet away from this sexiness at all times," Elton instructed him.  "Our job is to provide cover fire.  Don't engage unnecessarily or draw attention to yourself.  Remember, you're squishy to stray bullets and just because we got the doc and a paramedic with us doesn't mean we want to make them work."

            "I agree," Blake said.

            "Glad to hear it," Dos called.

            "Three will be back with us," Elton added.  "Some of these fuckers will have been trained to see through the blurs, and you're almost certainly going to be recognized, boss.  Remember, you're the one they want, and they want you bad enough to kill or die to get you.  Terra has a lot of money to hire mercenaries, but at their heart, especially where we're going, is a bunch of raving fanatics, alright?  They'll drop what they're doing to grab you if they get the slightest chance.  I anticipate that they'll make a concentrated attack on us and try to get you away.  When that happens, Three is our last line of defense against these assholes before I have to work for a living.  Don't make me work for a living, huh, gorgeous?"

            Three only looked at him.  Blake couldn't help but doubt she would be much use in a serious fight.  He supposed he didn't have much choice, though.  He had to trust Elton knew what he was doing.

            "Alpha team, you've got point.  Beta team will…"

            "Will we have Seven today?" Uno asked.

            "No.  Three is right here for you, and Alpha needs him up in front."

            Uno said something in French that sounded nasty to Blake.  "How in the hell are we to prove that he belongs with us if you won't let us have him?"

            "How are we supposed to complete this mission without an empath?" One countered irritably.

            "Pull Three!"

            "Funny, mate."

            "You can take Seven tonight," Elton assured.  "After the mission's over and we're back at the safehouse, he's all yours for the rest of the night until bedtime."

            "Dammit, why don't I get a choice in this?" Adam yelled.  "I'm sick of being fought over and handed out like property!"

            "Ne vous inquiétez pas.  It will be over soon," Uno soothed.

            "I assure you, it will!" One agreed.  His eyes were hard as he looked at Uno.  Uno glared back.

            "Fight over Seven later," Elton ordered.  "Heads in the game, boys and girls.  We're ready to rock.  Remember, our intel is that Four is here.  That crazy son of a bitch is going to be tough as hell to put down."

            "He was a big guy," Blake recalled.  "Almost as tall as I am, and built.  Too bad, he seemed like a nice guy, just shy."

            "Unfortunately, he's insane, trust me," Elton sighed.  "Terra must have had him on some pretty heavy meds because the last intel we had on him, he was way off his rocker.  Keep alert, Seven, you and Three will sense him first, but you're more likely to warn us."

            "I'll watch for him," Adam assured.

            "When he does show, he's going to make a beeline for our telepaths, especially you, One.  Once Seven senses him, you and Uno need to stay together.  Watch each other's backs and stay away from the doors so he can't grab you and drag you off.  And whatever happens, the two of you cannot engage him with your telepathy.  He's a loose chi, and he'll latch on so tight to you that he could disrupt your entire trio."

            "Understood."

            "Oui."

            "What about the empaths?" Blake asked.

            "We're fine, Blake," Adam called.  "He needs the telepaths, not us."

            "The empaths are further down the line," Uno explained.  "He needs us to anchor himself.  Four has wanted back with One since Unum dragged him off, so he's likely to go for him, first.  But he'll take either of us, given the chance."

            "He'll not touch you, brothers," Dos vowed.  "I'll break him in two!"

            "Even without a trio, Four's a chi, and that makes him tough," Elton warned, speaking again to Blake.  "That also means he's probably ours, Blake, so here."

            Blake took the piece of gold foil Elton handed him.  "Uh, what do I do with this?"

            "Shove it in your pocket for now.  It's just a kill order for Four anyway."

            "Oh, is that all?" Blake grumbled, irritably shoving the ticket into one of his pockets.  "You know, having someone's name on a gold ticket doesn't make it not murder!"

            "Being on an operation means lives get lost, boss."  Elton's voice was surprisingly gentle.  "When it's all over, I'll show you how to use that ticket.  But the fact is that you and I are probably the ones who are going to have to take down Four.  Your rifle is loaded with explosive rounds.  Go for the head, mouth area.  Chi's are tough as hell.  If they're suicidal, they can will their innate Shard resilience down and be killed with minimal damage, but I don't think Four's going to be that cooperative.  Now Blake, this is very important.  The only sure way to kill an enhanced psionic operative is to do massive, significant damage to the brain stem.  We're going to be the ones who take down Four because what we're packing is the best way to get the job done."

            "Got it."  Blake's stomach churned as he adjusted the rifle's strap over his shoulder.  The idea of willfully shooting someone in the head with explosive rounds didn't digest well.  But he looked at One and Uno and steeled his resolve.  He'd do what he needed to do.  Blake didn't delude himself that he was a fighter, but he'd fight to protect his friends.

            Blake couldn't believe they were walking down the sidewalk in broad daylight.  Between the famous faces, Three's bright red outfit, and the weapons he and Elton's men openly carried, Blake was amazed no one who saw them reacted.  The blur necklaces were apparently working well.  Dr. Murray might be a sadist and a sexual predator, but at least she'd produced some amazing results.

            Their target was what appeared to be a large office building.  Ignoring the door, Elton led the team around to the side and pulled down the fire escape.  "I got a man on the inside," he explained.  "He'll let us in at the roof.  We're cleaning out this whole nest, kiddies.  One, Uno?"  He handed a stack of gold tickets to the telepaths.  They took them and immediately got with their trios.  Even Three seemed to be paying attention as Uno looked his tickets over with her and Dos.  "You've both got matching sets, so don't worry about the division until the smoke clears.  Just like Pokemon, gotta get 'em all.  Total insurance on this one.  As you can see, we're looking at about forty assholes to kick into the next life, not including Four.  We start at the top and work our way down to the bottom.  I've got a secondary team coming in from the ground to herd them back up to us, but we're doing the bulk of the heavy lifting here.  It's going to get real hot real fast.  Blake, do not take any chances!  You are our top priority.  Team, that means if this op shits the bed, we do whatever is necessary to get him out.  Understood?"

            Blake frowned, but said nothing as a chorus of agreement rose from the team.  Part of him wondered why Elton had insisted he come along on such a dangerous mission?  Granted, leaving him behind would have, as he'd said, resulted in dividing the team.  But Blake wondered if he'd prove more of a liability than an asset on this mission?  He vowed to pull his weight and follow orders, even as he ruefully recognized just how well Elton had judged him.  He was doing exactly as Elton had predicted he would.  Blake wouldn't be surprised to find out that this whole operation was yet another of his damned experiments.

            Elton's inside man let them in at the roof access.  Five looked at Elton, saw him signal, and then charged forward, Adam and One close behind.  Dos and Uno were quick to follow with Elton's four men.  Then Elton waved at Blake and they moved forward with Three.

            Gunfire had already started and Elton immediately added to it, keeping himself slightly ahead of Blake.  Blake had opened fire as well, opting for the pistols as Elton had and staying low, closely following the experienced Operations Leader as he moved through the rooms.  Their targets appeared to be regular office workers in suits and skirts.  If they hadn't been wielding pistols and rifles, Blake would have been certain they were in the wrong building.

            "It is time for the music!" Elton yelled over the noise.  "Ok, Three, stay with Blake and break a leg, baby, it's showtime!"

            Blake rolled his eyes and kept shooting, waiting for Styx.  But to his surprise, instead of the familiar sound of "Renegade," the soft sound of what almost seemed like Christmas music came from Elton's hidden speakers.  Out of the corner of his eye, Blake saw Three move forward, an expression of happiness on her lovely face.  She took a deep breath, and then began to sing.

            _"Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining!  It is the night of our dear savior's birth!"_

            Her voice was amazing, a high, operatic soprano, perfectly clear and utterly flawless.  Her eyes blazed with green light, and the effects were almost immediately apparent.  Rather than manipulate fear and panic as Adam did, Three still played cupid.  All over the office, men and women were dropping their weapons and throwing each other onto floors and furniture, tearing at clothing and groping at each other.  Uno and Dos, not surprised at all, were quick to dispatch the would-be lovers even as Three herself moved among the moaning couples near Blake, putting her knives to work.  The entire time, she continued to sing.

            _"Oh night divine!  Oh night, Oh night divine!"_

            Blake found himself disappointed when Three didn't reach for the high note on the chorus.  Then he wondered exactly what the fuck he was doing?  All around him was violence and death, smoke and blood and screams filling the air.  And above it all was this glorious, angel-like voice.

            _"Led by the light of faith serenely beaming with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand."_

            "Four's here!" Adam's voice from somewhere out in the middle of the worst fighting, yelling over the noise.  "Where are the telepaths?"

            "We're here, brother!"  Blake spotted One running to join Uno, who threw an arm protectively around him.  The two moved back, keeping away from the doors, blades ready and glowing eyes alert.

            And then the Indian man Blake had noticed at his concerts came through the wall near the pair in a splinter of wood.  As predicted, he ran straight for the surprised telepaths and had One by the arm before they'd even turned around.

            Blake grabbed his rifle and noticed belatedly that a group had come towards them from the rear.  Elton had turned and was fighting with them, even as Three turned as well, her glowing eyes fixed on the newcomers.  "That's him!" someone was yelling.  "That's Breaker!"  Blake hesitated, rifle in one hand and pistol in the other, not sure where to focus.

            _"He knows our need.  He guardeth us from danger!  Behold your King!  Before Him lowly bend!"_

            One dug in his heels, slashing frantically at Four's arm even as Uno, pale-faced and determined, pried at Four's clinging fingers, trying to pull One free.  But Four simply caught One's knife hand.  His grip tightened, One cried out, and his weapon fell to the ground.  Desperate, Uno ducked between his arms and slashed at the chi's face.  "Dos!" he screamed.  "Aidez nous!"

            "Je suis ici, frère!"  Dos came charging through the crowd, bowling friend and foe alike aside to slam into Four's side.  He gave a grunt of surprise and turned, dragging One forward a bit before Uno was finally able to jerk him free.  Four flailed, grasped at Uno's sleeve, and Dos promptly punched the other chi in the face.  Four fell back, rocked by the powerful blow.  He bellowed and reached for the dagger at his belt, starting towards the telepaths again.  Dos took a step back and then charged him again, slamming into his chest.  Her fists flew, drawing snaps and cracks from breaking ribs as she pummeled him.  The crazed man's glowing green eyes never left the telepaths, straining to reach them again even as he plunged his dagger repeatedly into Dos's body.  She drove him back, ignoring the punishment her body was taking to guard the telepaths.

            Blake fell into a cool haze.  His senses were on hyper alert, taking in every detail of the battle around him.  He dropped the pistol into its holster, raised the rifle and took aim.

            Three was back into the chorus of her song.  Her power surged, bringing down the men Elton still fought as they struggled to reach Blake.  Her voice raised up, clear as glass to perfectly hit the high note just as Blake repeatedly pulled the trigger.

            Four's head disappeared.  Blake never hesitated, reaching again for his pistol and shooting the last two men with Elton.

            And a moment later, it was all over.  Five had healed Dos and the cooing couple was together, Five full of compliments on how she'd protected the telepaths.  The telepaths were moving among their trios with their tickets, getting everyone to run his or her fingers over the gold foil.  Apparently, they were supposed to keep track of their kills.  Three only smiled at Uno when he approached her, but he still seemed to be able to somehow communicate with her, taking her hand and running her fingers over the tickets as well.

            Blake moved forward, stepping over the bodies that littered the floor until he reached the one missing a head.  The haze of battle he'd been in was gone, leaving him shaking and panting.  For a long moment, he simply stared, taking in the sight of the man he'd killed.

            And then Adam's hand slipped into his.  "I heard," he said softly.  "You did the right thing.  He'd have kept coming, trying to get the telepaths, and the rest of us would have had to kill him a lot slower than you did."

            "I'm not a killer, baby," Blake said softly.  "I can't keep doing this."

            "I know."

            "Nice work, boss," Elton said.  His voice was soft, but he was smiling.  "Here, give me that gold ticket and I'll show you how to use it.  Put your fingers on this side, yes, just like that.  Now I'll activate it, and you think about the people you just killed.  Yeah, I know, it's tough, but see, it's writing.  That's it.  I'll get this to one of the telepaths, and it's all over.  You did good, man.  You really did."

            Good?  This was good?  Blake clung to Adam's hand and turned around, looking back at the team.  His eyes immediately fell on Three.  She was smiling, humming to herself as she played with the ruby ring on her finger.  But standing nearby, for once looking right at her, was One.  And he, too, was twisting the ring on his finger.

            A ruby ring.  A ruby ring that exactly matched the one Three wore.

            Breaker had taken One on his wedding day.  One had once done a duet for the Pope.  One sang classical, just as Three did.  And Three's voice was easily worthy of being heard by the Pope.

            Letting go of Adam, who looked at him in concern, Blake reached for his phone with a shaking hand.  Switching it on, he at last opened and looked at the files Miley and Alicia had sent him.  Among them was a picture.  A happy young couple, standing together.  He wore a pressed white shirt and tie, she wore red.  The caption read "Classical music stars 'England's Heaven' Gareth Parland and 'The Spanish Angel' Cecelia Serrano announce their engagement."

            It was One and Three.

            "He knows," Adam said softly, seeing what Blake was looking at.  "He's known since the beginning, when Breaker integrated her with him and Two.  But after what Breaker put her through, she was already insane.  Her mind broke completely when Unum pulled One out of her trio.  She was in a padded cell on LB1 until Unum integrated her into Uno's trio.  Unum told One the first day he brought us back to LB1, after that bar fight, that Uno's trio and ours needed to be tested to see who would be better with me, and Three would allow for both trios to be in the field at once.  Of course, we know now the real reason he wanted two trios."

            Blake's head was spinning.  "One knows that Three is…?"

            "Yeah, he knows.  But he's always known about her being there, and the state she was in.  We all did.  I looked at her files when I was trying to help her, and apparently, after Breaker took One away, she got offered a major contract.  She was really about to make it big in classical music, Blake.  He always tried to take people when they're at their highest.  I don't think Breaker quite figured out the state she was actually in when he took her, because even with that, she was just devastated after losing One.  Or maybe, since she was an empath, he just didn't care.  Doesn't matter.  No way for us to know anymore if they knew about each other's powers before Breaker integrated them, but their minds were completely incompatible in a Shard trio.  If Unum hadn't dragged One out, we'd have lost him, too."

            "But she's…!"

            "Yeah.  She was supposed to be One's wife.  But he mostly forgot her some time ago, Blake.  Now, the only time he really reacts to her is when he hears her sing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun's reaction to this chapter: Complete confusion when the music started playing. Then made the connection between the voice he was hearing and the opera background and called it before the actual reveal. Got choked up by what Adam said at the end because he is a hopeless romantic. The experiment continues!
> 
> Anit - **GOLD STAR** for calling Three's identity!  
> Alex - **GOLD STAR** same reason, and great catch on the rings!


	31. Swan Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their op, Elton encourages the team to relax with a music session. But tension is high as the alpha and beta trios continue to compete for a stable empath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings, mind the tags!
> 
> Lots of diegetic music here:  
> "Harder to Breathe" - Maroon 5  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV8NHsmVMPE
> 
> "She Will Be Loved" - Maroon 5  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjVuRTm-dc
> 
> "The Prayer" - Charlotte Church and Josh Groban  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNVUea3a25Y
> 
> Translations:  
> Ne te fâche pas - Don't get mad  
> Tu ne comprends pas - You don't understand  
> La luce che tu dai - The light that you give  
> Nel cuore resterà - Will remain in the heart  
> A ricordarci che - To remind us that  
> L'eterna stella sei - You are the eternal star  
> Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza, un mondo di giustizia e di speranza - We dream of a world without violence, a world of justice and hope  
> Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino, simbolo di pace e di fraternità - Everyone gives his hand to his neighbor, a symbol of peace and brotherhood  
> Merci beaucoup - Thank you

            Blake was freshly showered, in clean clothes, and fed.  He didn't recall much of the trip back to the safehouse, except Adam working again to soothe his emotions.  Uno had been surprisingly sympathetic.  He'd waited, even asking politely if Blake would be alright before grabbing Adam and dragging the protesting empath back into his integration.  Once more, Uno and Dos had blissful, happy expressions while One and Five seemed listless, almost drugged.

            Three seemed oddly unaffected.  She'd wandered into the studio in the rear of the safehouse and discovered a violin.  Now she was skillfully playing it, the sound of it mournful to Blake's ears.

            But now he heard Uno's voice, speaking rapidly in French, and the violin stopped.  Blake heard Adam respond and started back, curious.  He was stunned when he suddenly heard Adam sing.

            _"How dare you say that my behavior's unacceptable?  So condescending unnecessarily critical!  I have the tendency of getting very physical, so watch your step 'cause if I do you'll need a miracle."_

            Adam's voice wasn't like it was.  It showed the effects of the damage Breaker had inflicted.  The tone was still there, but there was a slight scratch to it where before his singing had always been clear.  And then he reached for a higher note, and his voice cracked in a way that made Blake wince.

            "Keep going!"  Uno's voice was sharp, a whip-like command.

            Blake clenched his fists and started forward angrily, but again Adam's voice came, picking up where he'd left off.  This time, he avoided the higher notes, keeping to the lower register, and he was able to finish the song.

            "Bravo, brother!"  Dos's voice, cheering.  "You are definitely improving."

            "It's coming, yeah."  Blake's heart ached at the note of relief in Adam's tone.  "Long way to go, and I know it may never come completely back.  But Dos, whatever you just did, it's better!" 

            "We will keep working on it," Dos assured gently.

            He laughed.  "I haven't been able to sing that song the whole way through since Breaker took me!"

            "The monster who took us all fades a little more each day," Uno assured.  "So long as Shelton doesn't take up his mantle…"

            "Don't even consider that, Uno!"  Adam was irritated now.  "Blake won't ever become Breaker."

            "Breaker may become Blake, Seven," Dos warned.  "We must be cautious.  I am concerned that he wants you, brother."

            "We want each other, Dos.  We're engaged now!"

            "But when he becomes Father, he will not be completely himself," Uno agreed.  "Our sister is right.  We must be very cautious.  Once you are completely integrated with us, we will…"

            Adam groaned.  "How many times do I have to tell you?  I won't be integrated into your trio!  You can't keep me!"

            "You belong with us, brother."  Uno again.  "You were meant to be with us from the start, and we _will_ have you!"

            "Dammit, I'm not a prize to be won!"  Adam was yelling now.  "I'm sorry about your situation, but I won't be dragged away from my brothers.  You cannot keep me!  Get it through your heads!"

            "Ne te fâche pas!"

            "Yes, Seven," Uno urged.  "Sit, stay with us, and talk."

            "Just leave me the hell alone.  Hey!  Let go of me, Dos!"

            "Come here, brother, to me."

            "No, leave me alone!  Take your hands off of me!"

            Blake cleared his throat loudly and strolled into the room.  His eyes fell on Dos, who was sitting on a stool in the music room, holding almost casually onto Adam's arm while he strained to pull away.  "You want to let go of that arm, sweetheart!"

            "This is not your concern, Mr. Shelton," Uno advised politely.

            "That's my fiancée you're putting your hands on," Blake declared.  "I assure you, I'm very concerned.  Let go of him.  Now!"

            Dos let go of Adam with obvious reluctance and raised her hands.  "We need for him to stay with us, to strengthen the integration," she explained.  "I wasn't hurting him!"

            "When he wants you to let go of him, you let him go!" Blake ordered, frowning at her as Adam stormed past, almost running out of the room.  Blake looked anxiously after him, and then whirled on the two.  "What the hell is wrong with you, holding onto him like that after he told you to leave him alone?  If you ever manhandle him again…!"

            "Tu ne comprends pas!"  Uno pinched the bridge of his nose.  "You cannot understand because you are not in a Shard trio.  But Seven feels adrift when he's pulled away from One.  It's much like being lost at sea without a ship, understand?  His natural inclination is to return to One, but that isn't productive for this experiment."

            "I cannot tell you how little I care about this experiment."

            "Again, that is because you are not part of a Shard trio.  If you knew how it was to not have what Seven can provide?"

            "What's wrong with her?"  Blake pointed at Three, who was smiling as she replaced the violin in its case.  "You guys seemed fine tonight!"

            "I assure you, we were not.  We need a stable empath, and only Seven can provide that."

            "You guys lose something?"  It was Elton.  He came in behind Blake, guiding a scowling Adam back to the room with a hand on his shoulder.  "He just caused a fuss with One and Five, so I thought I'd bring him back."

            Dos brightened and immediately jumped up, her eyes on Adam.  Adam shirked away even as Blake moved between them.  "Keep your hands off of him," he growled.

            "Whoa, easy, boss!" Elton called.  "I know this probably seems a bit traumatic, but Uno and Dos get Seven tonight, so he needs to stay here with them, ok?  They won't hurt him, I promise."

            "She was just holding onto his arm while he was trying to pull away from her!"

            "Sounds about right."  He frowned at Adam.  "Seven, behave yourself, would you?  The sooner you relax and let this experiment continue, the sooner it's over."

            "I'm not staying with them!" Adam snapped.  "I want to go back to my brothers!"

            Elton pointed towards Uno and Dos, his glowing eyes hard.  "They get you tonight.  You don't run off anymore!  Now go in."

            "But I…!"

            "In!  Now!"

            Adam cursed under his breath and stormed over to plop angrily down on the ground next to Uno.  Uno smiled and put a hand on Adam's shoulder, only to have Adam brush it off.

            "Please try to understand!" Dos pleaded, seeing the anger that darkened Blake's face.  "While our first loyalty is always to our own trio, we are all brothers and sisters.  Today you saw that we look out for each other.  Uno and I have no wish to hurt One and Five.  But we need Seven.  And we will do what we must to have him!"

            "I do not like the sound of that."

            "I am sorry."

            "I'm alright, Blake," Adam sulked.  "Elton's right, sooner we get this damned experiment over with, the better."

            "About time someone admits I'm right!" Elton grumbled.  He turned to Blake and brightened.  "Boss, I'm bringing the rest of the kiddies in here, have a little jam session.  They all sing and play, so I thought it might help.  Why don't you join in?"

            Blake didn't think much could ease the tension between the two Shard trios.  But when all six were in the music room and setting themselves up with instruments, Blake was surprised to note that the tense, hostile atmosphere seemed to dissipate.  Five and Dos even put their differences aside and joined together, Five on an alto sax and Dos on bass, for a swinging jazz improv piece that got everyone else interested.  Soon they were taking turns in no particular order, going around the room, singing and playing.  Even Adam sang again, joining in on harmony with Uno's low tenor in a shy way that made Blake smile.

            Then Blake started playing some familiar chords on his acoustic.  Adam brightened, but then seemed to wilt.  "I don't think I'll be able to hit the high notes, Blake," he confessed.

            "I'll cover the high notes," Blake assured.  "You do what you can."

            Adam smiled and began to sing.

            _"Beauty queen of only eighteen she had some trouble with herself.  He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else.  I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door.  I've had you so many times but somehow I want more."_

            His smile widened as Dos joined in on her bass, One bringing up a soft counter melody on the piano while Uno tapped out the beat on his drum set.

            _"I don't mind spending every day out on your corner in the pouring rain!  Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay awhile."_

            And now Blake took over, his voice rising effortlessly to hit the notes, his eyes locked with Adam's.

            _"And she will be loved, and she will be loved!"_

            They continued, Blake stepping in every time, seamlessly covering for the higher parts Adam's damaged voice couldn't yet manage until they joined together, weaving together for the final chorus.

            _"Please don't try so hard to say goodbye!"_

            The group burst into cheers and applause when the song finished.  Adam was looking at Blake like he was the best thing he'd ever seen, and Blake thought his heart would burst.

            Things were going well until the sound of the Imperial March interrupted things.  Elton grimaced and pulled out his cell phone.  "Big brother calls," he announced.  "Let me go talk to Unum.  He's probably going to give us an ETA on when the transport pads are going to be ready.  Be right back."

            He stepped out, leaving behind a room lost in silent thought.

            "Bah!" Uno spat.  "Why should we stop now?  Three, sing for us, sister."

            "Leave her be," Adam called crossly.

            "Nonsense!  She and One are the only ones who have not sung tonight.  The night is not over until that has changed.  Dos!  You have your phone, oui?"

            "Oui!"  Dos produced a phone and poked at it for a bit.  Blake thought she seemed to be sending a text.  But then she set it up, hooking a set of speakers into it.  "Let's hear something worthy of the Pope!"

            "Knock it off!" Adam warned.  "We were all getting along just fine, and now you're gonna pull this shit?"

            "What shit are we pulling?" Dos challenged.

            "Indeed, Blake has never heard this!" Uno agreed.

            "There is a reason for that," Adam grumbled.  "One doesn't sing anymore, not since…"  His eyes went to Three, who was watching Dos with interest.

            "I don't hear One complaining," Uno pointed out.

            "That's because he's half numb because you pulled me so far out!" Adam exclaimed.  "Let me go back and ask him then?"

            "No," Uno snapped.  "You are with us tonight."

            Adam sighed.

            Dos turned to One.  "Do you want to sing for Blake?"

            "I really don't care," One replied.

            Uno smiled.  "See?"

            Blake had gone through the files Miley and Alicia had sent him, and had heard a recording of One's voice.  The rich baritone was magnificent, and his inner vocal coach jumped at the chance to hear it in real life.  But Five and One almost seemed drugged without Adam, responding as if half-asleep, and something about the way Uno and Dos were pushing this was ringing a faint alarm.  Still, that voice…  "I'd love to hear it," Blake said.  "But not if it's going to cause trouble."

            "I don't care," One replied.  Once again, he seemed almost in a daze.

            "It's not a good idea," Five said.  "When Three notices One, things get ugly."

            "That is what I am here for," Uno assured.  "It will be fine."

            "I don't care," One said for the third time.  "If Blake wants me to sing, I'll sing."

            Blake frowned.  From the files, he knew that Gareth Parland and Cecelia Serrano's duet on "The Prayer" for the Pope the night of the benefit concert had been considered the highlight of the evening.  But the last thing he wanted was for One to get knifed by the insane shell of his former fiancée.  "Maybe just let it go?" Blake suggested.

            "Too late now!  See how little sister loves this song?"  Uno indicated Three, who had brightened, her smile beaming as the musical intro of "The Prayer" came from the speakers.  "One, you can join her, or you can leave her in disappointment.  Your call!"

            Meanwhile, Three had already begun to sing.  Once again, her voice was crystal clear, the high sweet soprano swelling, vibrato flawless as she dipped through the lower notes.  Blake was entranced immediately, barely noticing Adam's uneasy look as he watched her.

            _"I pray you'll be our eyes and watch us where we go and help us to be wise in times when we don't know.  Let this be our prayer as we go our way.  Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace to a place where we'll be safe."_

            One had joined in with the rest of the group earlier, skillfully playing the keyboard, but while Five had managed a bit of animation while playing with Dos, he'd remained largely listless and wouldn't sing a note.  Now, though, his head raised, a faint note of recognition in his eyes at the sound of Three's singing.  He sighed when she finished the verse.  And then he, too, began to sing, a deep, flawless operatic baritone that perfectly complimented Three's high soprano.

_"La luce che tu dai."_

_"I pray we'll find your light."_

_"Nel cuore resterà."_

_"And hold it in our hearts."_

_"A ricordarci che."_

_"When stars go out each night."_

_"L'eterna stella sei!"_  


            The amazing voices danced around each other until they reached the bridge.  Then they came together in perfect harmony. 

            _"Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza, un mondo di giustizia e di speranza!  Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino, simbolo di pace e di fraternità!"_

            They rose, reaching and holding a high note.  And then One held a note while Three's voice soared, and something changed.  As Blake watched, One's grey eyes grew wide, locking with Three's dark eyes.  For the first time, the two were really looking at each other.

            And their voices continued to blend, dipping softly into the chorus only to rise in forte once more.  They dipped again, reached a crescendo, and finally held, One's voice keeping the final note as Three's gently climbed to finish.

            And then they simply stood, gazing intently into each other's eyes in perfect silence.

            "Gareth," Three whispered.

            One raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Adam sucked in his breath.  "Uno?"

            "Gareth!"  Three was moving forward, her eyes fixed on One.  One only looked more confused.  He tore his gaze away and rose, starting towards the door.

            _"Don't you walk away from me!"_ Three shrieked.

            "Dammit, Uno!" Adam called.  His eyes were blazing, his face contorted with effort.  "I can't reach her, she's fighting me!"

            "Seven?"  One was looking from Adam to Three.  Five had risen and started towards One, but he also looked half-dazed.  Meanwhile, Uno's eyes were glowing, his face set in a frown of concentration while Dos moved closer to Adam.

            "Um, Uno, I think maybe you better stop her," Blake called.

            "I can't!" Uno exclaimed.  "She's just so angry!"

            One blinked, seeming to recognize his danger at last.  He took a step back.  Three immediately shrieked again, screaming at him in Spanish.  And then her hand dipped into a fold in her dress and produced something metallic.

            "Shit, she's got another knife!  Five…"  The words died in Blake's throat.  Three had produced not a knife, but a silver pistol.

            Time froze as she pointed it directly at One's face and pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times.  Then, as One flew backwards, his face a ruin, she moved the weapon, pointing it under her own chin.  She was smiling sweetly as she once again pulled the trigger.

            Blake stood as he was, staring in stunned horror at the two bloody figures on the ground.  Suddenly something caught him around the waist, knocking the wind out of him.  Blake found himself dumped over a powerful, narrow shoulder.  And then he was being carried.  He heard Elton yell once and then they were out the door.  Belatedly, Blake realized he was over Dos's shoulder, and Adam was lying limply over her other shoulder.  His arms twitched spasmodically as he dangled, and his glowing eyes were rolled back.  "What are you doing?" Blake yelled.  "Stop!  Put us down!"

            But Dos jumped into a van, Uno following close behind.  The sounds of gunfire had started as the driver stomped on the gas and the van took off.

            Blake squirmed free and crawled back in shock, staring as Dos gently put Adam down and turned to him.  "You _stole_ him!  You set that whole thing up with One just so you could steal Adam away!"

            "We had to!" she insisted.  "We needed him, but somehow, his compatibility with One and Five increased to 97%!  All three of them are somehow equally compatible, and it's your doing, isn't it, Breaker?  Elton would have taken him from us!  We had to act!"

            Blake was stunned.  "What did you do?  What the hell did you do?  You let her shoot One and then herself just so you could have an empath?"

            "You do not understand!" Uno said.  His glowing eyes were locked on Adam.  "You only saw her on the outside.  Being integrated with me stabilized her, but not nearly enough!  You didn't know how hard I had to work every day to keep her from killing herself!  It was a matter of time.  We had an opportunity…"

            _"You let your sister shoot your brother and then herself!"_ Blake roared.  Then he paused, his eyes on Adam as he began to twitch and jerk.

            "He's slipping away!" Dos yelled.  Her eyes blazed as she focused on Adam.  "He's seizing!  Uno, hold him tight!"

            "No, Seven!  Come back to us!"  Uno's face was a mask of concentration.

            But suddenly Blake had other concerns.  The van had stopped, and three men jumped in and immediately tackled him.  Blake fought wildly, his eyes fixed on Adam as he continued to seize.  But then he felt a needle slip into his flesh, and a moment later, everything went dark.

****

            Blake groaned, slowly returning to consciousness, and sat up.  The first thing he noticed was that he was behind bars.  He was in a prison cell, seated on a narrow cot that wasn't long enough to accommodate his six-foot-five frame.  The second thing he noticed was that about half a dozen people were crowded outside the bars in the hall, looking excited as they watched Blake.

            One man stood at the door, smiling brightly.  "You're awake!" he exclaimed.  "Mr. Shelton, on behalf of Terra and all of humanity, welcome!"

            The group burst into applause and cheers.  Some even exchanged hugs, and one woman was wiping tears.  Blake shook his head to clear it and the world spun.  He waited for it to settle down and swung his legs over the edge of the cot.  Checking his watch revealed that it was morning.  Apparently, he'd slept all night.  "I'd feel a hell of a lot more welcome if I wasn't shut in a cell," he called.

            "Oh!  Sorry!"  The man waved at someone, and an alarm buzzed.  The door slid open.  The man immediately came in and moved to assist Blake.  "We shouldn't have shut the door, but we weren't sure what sort of state you'd wake up in.  I understand you just saw a rather traumatic scene."

            Memory returned to Blake in a rush, One and Three on the floor, Five collapsed nearby in a heap, himself and Adam carried off by Dos and Adam's seizure in the van.  "Where's Adam?"

            "I'm sorry, who?"

            "Adam!  Adam Levine!"

            "Who is…?  Oh, you mean the empath?  He's with the other Shard psionics in a holding cell.  He's alright, or as alright as he can be, considering."

            "Considering what?"

            "I understand he lost the telepath of his integrated trio?  That could have easily killed him.  But the telepath and chi that surrendered to us stabilized him for now."

            Blake struggled to his feet.  "I want to see him!"

            "Alright, just take it slow."  He called to the rubberneckers in the hall.  "Someone get a wheelchair!"

            "I don't need a damned wheelchair!" Blake declared, promptly proving himself wrong as he stumbled and fell back onto the cot.  "Fine, give me a wheelchair."

            Blake let himself be helped into the chair and wheeled down a hall.  Soon, he was in what was obviously a secure prison wing.  The man with him paused, looking uncertain.  "We have devices," he explained.  "Portable psionic blockers.  We recommend that anyone who approaches psionic prisoners uses them, but in your case, with the changes taking place in your body, it may do more harm than good."

            "I'll be fine, just let me see Adam!"

            "Of course."  He hesitated.  "This may be difficult for you.  I understand you were very attached to the empath?"

            Blake started to climb out of the chair.

            "Alright, we're going, sit down!"  Blake sat down and was quickly wheeled down the hall to stop outside of a heavy reinforced steel door.  His new friend assisted him to stand and look in the window.

            Inside the cell, Dos was seated on the cot, Adam cradled in her lap, lying against her.  She gently rocked him, trying to comfort even as she clearly restrained him.  She had her arms wrapped around him and was holding his wrists while she pinned his legs with her own.  Adam moaned and weakly struggled.  His face shone with sweat.  Even though his eyes glowed brightly, they were half-lidded and looked dazed, confused.  Uno sat with them on the cot.  He gently rubbed at Adam's arm, his attention focused on the empath.  "It's alright, brother," he soothed.  "Don't fight me!"

            "Let me go!" Adam cried.  "Please, Uno, let me go, it hurts!"

            "Adam!" Blake yelled.

            "Blake?"  Adam's eyes didn't focus.  "Where are you?"

            "I'm here!  What the hell are you two doing?"

            "Saving his life, Blake!" Dos exclaimed.  "Without us, he might not survive!  Empaths are fragile.  We need to get Seven into our integration as quickly as we can.  You need to integrate him with us, Blake!"

            "What the hell makes you think I would, even if I could?"

            "You have to!" Uno insisted, not looking away from Adam.  "I'm trying my best and I've pulled him in as much as I can, but he's fighting me.  If you can't integrate him yet, at least tell him to stop fighting, or he'll die!"

            "They're right," the man with Blake assured.  "With his telepath gone, his Shard trio is broken.  But this telepath and chi lost their empath.  If you can convince this empath to join them in a new trio…?"

            "They have names, dammit, or at least numbers!  And 'this empath' is Adam!"  Blake paused, suddenly feeling cold.  "Wait, what do you mean, his telepath's gone?  One's gone?  But Five was there to heal him!"

            "Five is the chi?  I'm sorry, but if the telepath was suddenly killed, it would have been a terrible blow to the entire Shard trio.  I understand the empath had a seizure?  That was likely the result of the telepath dying.  If the two here hadn't taken the empath partially into their integration prior to that happening, he could have died, as well.  As it was, the chi isn't likely to have survived the collapse of the trio."

            Blake groaned, leaning on the door.  "No!"

            "What is it?  What's wrong?  Blake!"  Inside the cell, Adam was thrashing.  "Where are they?  Where are my brothers?  Uno, stop!  Leave me alone!"

            Uno cursed, got up, and moved to the bars.  "Blake, I'm sorry," he said, his voice low.  "When Elton said we'd have a music session tonight, we saw our chance.  I knew from past experience that if Three noticed One, she'd try to kill him.  Normally, One would have never done that duet with her and risked drawing her attention to himself.  But while we had Seven with us, he wouldn't be able to feel enough to care, and neither would Five.  So we gave her a pistol we picked up on our last operation.  Then we contacted Terra, and just let nature take its course!"

            "You son of a bitch!"

            "What's wrong?" Adam yelled.  "Blake!"

            "Hang on, baby!"  To Uno, Blake hissed, "You are going to pay for this, Uno!"

            "Hate me later!  The man you love is dying, Blake," Uno insisted.  "Unless we can pull him in with us, he'll die!"

            "I can't integrate him!"

            "Then tell him to stop fighting, to let me pull him in as much as I can," Uno pleaded.  "As it is, we're getting benefit from his powers, but he's burning himself out fighting us."

            "So stop trying to drag him in!"

            "Do you not listen?  He will die without being in a trio!  If he stops fighting, I can stabilize him until you can get to the shards and integrate us.  But you _must_ integrate him with us!"  He gestured towards Adam frantically.  "Look at him!  See the pain he is in?"

            Blake looked at Adam.  He took in the sweaty face, the grimacing, and the way he strained against Dos and sighed.  "Adam?" he called.  "Don't fight.  Let Uno help you."

            "Blake?  Blake!"  Adam squirmed.  "Where are my brothers, Blake?"

            "Your brothers are fine," Blake lied.  "Just relax and let Uno help you for now, ok, buddy?"

            Uno sighed in relief.  "Merci beaucoup!"

            "This isn't over!" Blake warned.

            Uno actually looked guilty as he returned to the cot.  He focused on Adam, and the light in Adam's eyes faded.  He gave a small cry, trying again to pull free, and then sagged, panting.  Exhausted hazel eyes at last sought out Blake.  "Blake?" he called weakly.  "Please help me!"

            "I will, baby.  Don't worry.  Just rest now, and let Uno pull you in, ok?"

            Adam nodded.  His eyes closed, and he went limp in Dos's arms.  She held him close and kissed the side of his head, looking anxiously at Uno.  "Can we hold him, brother?"

            "He's with us, for now," Uno reported.  "We'll try to integrate with him as much as we can on our own.  But we need Father to pull him in completely."  He looked at Blake, shame in his eyes.  "I swear I never wanted to hurt my brothers.  I know you don't believe it, but I didn't.  I'd give anything for this to be different."

            Blake didn't dignify that with a response.  He stepped back, returned to his new friend and waved away the wheelchair.  "I think I'm steady now.  I assume you want to have a talk with me?"

            "Very much so!"

            "Then let's get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun's reaction: At the start of the channel, said "I hope you're going to fix them!" Got emotional for songs. Said bad words and said this was not fixing them. Thinks maybe Terra is "the good guys," or at least representing the other side.


	32. Terra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake is held captive by Terra and learns their side of what is really happening with Shard. Meanwhile, time is running out for Adam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music for this chapter:  
> "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5dt_8xXgqo

            "My name is Dr. Stephen Russell," the man began.  "I'm the leader here at Terra, and the only one of us with first-hand experience with the shards.  You see, I used to work with Dr. Edward Jameson and Dr. Theodore Agosti.  You would recognize them better by the names they took after they were altered by the shards – Unum and Duo."

            "Yeah, I know those names."  Blake looked around.  Russell had led him to what appeared to be an elaborate four-star hotel room complete with a full entertainment system, a wet bar, even a small studio in one corner where a guitar waited.  It didn't take a genius to realize that this was intended to serve as Blake's home for an undetermined amount of time.  "What about them?"

            "You see, the Company didn't expose two scientists to the shards, but three.  Even at that early stage, we already understood the power inherent in a trio, the relationship to the three shard pieces.  The three of us were chosen from among the volunteers because we had the highest amount of Shard influence, the altered DNA."

            "I know that story, but I was told it was only two."

            "Of course you were.  Because only my two colleagues were affected.  The three of us had equal amounts of exposure, but it was Jameson and Agosti that were, I suppose the word is 'chosen' for lack of a better term.  Even though there were three shards, the entity itself split only in two and entered them, leaving me untouched.  Well," he corrected, "that isn't true.  I do have the ability to sense psionic ability in others, and my eyes changed from brown to green.  But as you can see, they don't glow.  What I received was so low level that I was little more than a curiosity.  I had no real connection to the shards at all, and remained Dr. Russell while Jameson became Unum and Agosti Duo.  It was…  Disappointing."

            "I really do not care how jealous you were because daddy liked your brothers more than you," Blake declared.  "Get to the point."

            Russell frowned.  "My point is, I remained with the Company on the Shard project at LB1, but I was largely a subject of passing interest, nothing more.  When Breaker fell, I went to the shards, tried to coax the entity to come to me.  But it didn't want me.  It wants you."

            "I assure you, the feeling isn't mutual.  You want this thing, it's all yours!"

            "Actually, that is the last thing I want," Russell declared.  "But you're jumping ahead.  My point is that there were originally supposed to be _three_ Shard Leaders, Unum, Duo, and myself as Tres.  And as you've obviously figured out, I wasn't happy.  I felt cheated, left out and shunted aside, and I was angry.  And then, bit by bit, my anger faded, but my disillusion remained.  I started to take a long, hard look at what the Company was really doing with Shard.  And what I saw convinced me that the Shard Project was not in the best interests of humanity.  I became convinced it had to be stopped.  So when Breaker went mad and was thrown out of the Company, I secretly joined in with him, acting as a double agent."

            Blake gave him a long look.  "You were the double agent?  So you're the one who leaked the files on the psionics?  It was _you_ that let Breaker find Adam!"

            "Yes, among other things, but before you hit me, I'd like to ask that you hear me out."

            Blake had been just about to open a large can of grade A whoopass and barely managed to hold himself in check.  "Talk.  Fast!"

            "I'm sure it's difficult to understand why I would help Breaker, especially given you have a personal romantic attachment to one of his victims.  But I, and in fact all of Terra, sacrificed those people for one specific reason, and that reason was humanity.  You see, I had first hand experience with the effects of Shard on those exposed to it.  And more and more, I was seeing less human thinking among my enhanced colleagues.  At first I was interested.  Then I became alarmed.  To my eyes, it was becoming apparent that the entity, not the humans running the Project, was in charge."

            "Terra believes in preserving Earth for humans, pure humans, uncorrupted by any alien influence.  Shard is an abomination, a nightmare with no place on this planet.  What possible reason could the entity have to come here, start altering human DNA, and then essentially go back into the shards and go into hibernation?"  Russel folded his hands, looking serious.  "We believe it's the first step in a long-term plan for a hostile takeover of this planet.  The shards are a vehicle, a means to transport the entity to this planet and start enacting changes.  Then the entity returned and went into hibernation for thousands of years, allowing enough time to pass for the changes it affected to have wide-reaching consequences.  Did you know how rare you are, Mr. Shelton?  It's actually more difficult to find a genetically pure human, with no trace of Shard influence, than it is to find psionics!"

            "Talk faster," Blake growled.  "Get to the part where you explain how you can possibly justify letting that monster take and torture all those people!"

            "You may have noticed there was a problem, probably unexpected?" Russell asked.  "Empaths are so rare that the one currently in our possession may very well be the only one on the planet!  That entire genetic line largely died out."

            "Yeah, and they don't think the entity knows, I heard this."

            "Oh, we believe it knows," Russell sighed.  "That's precisely why it wants you.  You see, the trios were only the beginning.  You're aware that the Shard influence in the trios is affecting you, but you may not be aware that the flow of energy through the trios is going in two directions.  Not only is the entity able to affect you through them, but the Shard trios represent a stable energy source for the entity itself.  They act like the roots of a plant, and every new psionic that's integrated only adds to that power.  It's had a stable Shard trio for nearly a year now, feeding it power, making it stronger.  And apparently, it's ready for action."

            "Now it needs a physical host to allow it to move about on the Earth again and reseed the population, alter human DNA to create whatever it needs.  In the name of humanity, I went to the shards and offered myself as that host.  That's how much I believe in Terra's philosophy.  But it didn't want me.  It very clearly had a specific host in mind, and so I waited, keeping my cover intact, until Shard discovered you.  But we needed to be sure.  That was why we brought out the unstable Shard chi we had in our control, heavily medicated, to interact with you on multiple occasions and therefor expose you to Shard.  It took well over half a dozen exposures, followed by the same amount of sampling before we first detected the very first extremely faint change in your DNA.  That's when we were sure."

            "And that's when you shoved that chip into my arm?" Blake said.  "Along with what I already owe you, I should belt you another one for that!"

            "Er, sorry.  Once we were sure that you were the chosen host, we needed a way to track you.  But our actions had attracted notice, and Project Honeybee was initiated by the Company.  I had little choice but to steal your files and escape, but not before I was able to set up a back door, using classified tech, on LB1 and use some other classified tech to rig the transporter pads."

            "After that, it was a matter of letting the Company do most of our work for you.  We kept the pressure on, kept the Shard trio assigned to you busy even as we steadily increased our efforts to obtain you.  Then you fled your guards and gave us the perfect opportunity.  We used that back door I left behind when I fled and mounted a direct attack on LB1.  Many brave men and women gave their lives on that suicide mission, Mr. Shelton.  We needed to cripple Shard's ability to mount a full defensive, and also remove the ability for Unum to simply teleport, or 'flash' as they call it, you there."

            "So you sent people on a suicide mission just so you could keep Unum from teleporting me to their base?" Blake asked incredulously.  "You threw away people's lives, just so you could get your hands on me!  What the hell could be so important?"

            "The entity wants you.  It's already begun to alter your body for its purpose.  You see, Mr. Shelton, you represent the perfect host, not only because your DNA is untainted, but because your mind is completely compatible with the entity.  You've been chosen.  Both the Company and Terra believe that you will be able to host both sides of the entity, become Father on a permanent basis, and be able to not only integrate psionics at will, but also to alter other humans.  That cannot happen, Mr. Shelton."

            Blake leaned back and crossed his arms.  "We agree on something.  Still haven't gotten the answer I wanted about why you helped Breaker, though?  If this entity gets its juice from Shard trios and you're so all-fire freaked out about it, why the hell would you help Breaker make a stable trio?"

            "Unum couldn't take on the entire entity until fairly recently," Russell explained.  "Before that, we were at an impasse.  I could access the shards as part of the Shard team at LB1, but I couldn't affect them.  The shards not only contain the entity, they also protect it.  It's not as simple as taking a blunt object and simply smashing them.  The entity itself needed to be drawn out for the shards to become vulnerable, and then they were only vulnerable to the host of the entity itself.  At the time, the entity was in two pieces, residing in Unum and Duo, but the shards weren't vulnerable to either of them alone.  They could only have destroyed them together, with both portions of the entity out at the same time."

            "Unfortunately, they weren't getting along.  When Duo became Breaker, Terra and I worked to continue to provide him with psionics in order to appease the entity.  The hope was, since Breaker was providing the entity with what it wanted and Unum was not, the portion that was inside of Unum would abandon him, moving completely into Breaker.  Breaker could then destroy the shards and become a permanent host.  At that point, our plan was to destroy him if possible, or contain him otherwise."

            Blake blinked in surprise.  "Uh, what?"

            "The true goal of Terra is the destruction or containment of the entity," Russell elaborated.  "The Shard entity cannot be permitted freedom to travel independently, especially not with the backing of integrated psionics!  Therefore, I moved freely about LB1, protected by tech that blocks telepathy and my own recognizance.  From there, I fed information to Breaker about the psionics so that he could complete his goal of creating an integrated Shard trio, draw the attention of the entity to himself, and take on both halves.  At that point, he would be neutralized, for the sake of humanity.  But then Breaker was killed by Unum, and my attempt to take on half the Shard entity failed.  So I remained at LB1 until I was able to access your information.  But by then, they'd realized they had a double agent.  When I stole the Project Honeybee files, my cover was blown and I had to flee.  I've been here ever since."

            Blake stared at him.  "Who cares about where you've been?  You threw those people at Breaker, knowing what he would do to them, because if he was able to create a trio, he _might_ be able to take on both halves of the entity?"

            "We were desperate, Blake," Russell insisted.  "The entity was so present in Breaker that he could integrate psionics without the physical presence of the shards!  He was clearly the more powerful of the two, or at least the most favored.  And the fact that he was psychotic was actually helpful.  He was a remarkably vain, proud man, furious that he'd been thrown out of the Company, but far more so that he'd had his integrated telepath taken away.  That seemed, to him, to be a direct personal insult.  He wanted his telepath back, and the only way he could accomplish that would be to put together the rest of the Shard trio.  He willingly agreed to break the shards in exchange for his Shard trio simply because he didn't wish to share his power with anyone else.  And so he began."

            "The first Shard trio he created was obviously flawed, with the empath insane and completely incompatible with the telepath.  And once Unum learned he could break the flawed trios, he continued to do so.  When Breaker integrated a chi whose compatibility levels with his telepath were so high Unum couldn't break the trio and then added an empath, we thought it was over.  But again, we lost the empath, and then the chi as well.  And Breaker, already upset over the loss of his telepath, was even more furious that Unum now had his chi, as well!"

            "That's why Breaker started over with Uno and Dos, the two with Adam now," Blake confirmed.  "But he changed his mind once he got Adam and decided to put him with the first two instead."

            "Again, Breaker was a very arrogant man," Russell sighed.  "I'd provided him with intelligence that the telepath and chi in Unum's possession were doing poorly.  But he'd obtained a powerful empath.  Breaker believed that, once he'd integrated the new empath, not only would the entity choose him, but the telepath and chi he honestly believed had been stolen from him would come to him as well, after the empath."

            "Based on recent events, he might have been right," Blake sighed.  "So that's why he did it.  But he couldn't break Adam."

            "No, and we still don't know why!"

            "Never mind why.  First things first."  Blake hauled off and punched Russell right in the jaw, knocking him from his chair.  "That's for Adam."  He got up and kicked the man square in the kidney.  "That's for Gareth Parland and Matt Mellon."  He punched him again.  "And that's for Cecelia Serrano, a beautiful young singer who lost her husband, her freedom, her sanity and now her life without much more than a passing mention from damned near anyone!  You son of a bitch, these aren't lab rats!  They're people, with lives that you let Breaker destroy, all for a maybe chance that you might be able to break the shards!"

            "We've got a much better chance now," Russell called.  He groaned and writhed, holding his back as he tried to get back up into his chair.  "We have you!"

            "What the fuck do you want from me, and why the hell should I help you?"

            "You're the best hope humanity's got!"  Russell managed his chair.  He squeezed his eyes shut and hissed with pain.  "I understand you're upset…"

            "That is so not the word!  And you deserve so much more than I have the heart to give you right now!"

            "Be that as it may, you have an obligation to the rest of humanity.  There are two people alive who have minds capable of holding the entire entity – Unum, and you.  If either one of you takes on the entity and then breaks the shards, the entity will be trapped inside of your body.  We expect that the entity will immediately take over the host.  At that point, we face one of three possible outcomes."  He straightened in his chair with an effort, his face still contorted in pain as he faced Blake.  "The best option is that the entity can be reasoned with, persuaded to cooperate rather than pursue a plan of domination and conquest.  We are prepared to offer it more psionics to ensure its cooperation."

            "Big of you!  I wonder how you'd feel about that plan if it was you or someone you loved that was up for sacrifice?" Blake snapped.

            "You forget, I already offered myself!" Russel exclaimed, his voice dripping with wounded pride.

            "After you got passed over the first time," Blake pointed out.  "Sorry, but I'm less convinced that you were making a noble sacrifice than you were hoping you'd get picked up on the second round draft."

            "Mr. Shelton, please…"

            "Whatever, what are the other options?"

            "Option two is that the entity is not willing to cooperate, but can be contained.  At that point, we would work very hard towards gaining its cooperation."

            "And option three is what?"

            "The entity becomes hostile and must be immediately destroyed."

            "So, no option to get the Shard trios out of integration?" Blake asked.  "No option to shove this thing right back into the shards and blast them into the sun?  Not even an option to nuke LB1 back to the stone age and be done with the whole thing?  Russell, where is your imagination?"  He leaned forward, his aquamarine eyes drilling into the other man.  "Let me say this once, in very clear language.  I am not helping you unless you help me find a way to get Adam out of his integration!"

            "Adam?"  His face brightened in recognition.  "Oh yes, the empath!  I'm sorry, that isn't possible."

            "Wrong answer!"

            "Mr. Shelton, your friend is an enhanced psionic operative, an integrated empath," Russell explained with strained patience.  "His mind and body have been modified to the point where he can no longer be considered human, and he cannot be returned to his original state.  It isn't possible, especially not now."

            "What do you mean?"

            "He's not going to survive, Mr. Shelton."  Russell said this as if it were a casual bit of news to be exchanged at the office water cooler.  "He's lost his Shard trio, and no empath has ever survived that with an intact mind.  If he's not already insane, he will be."

            "But Uno and Dos…!"

            "They cannot integrate him.  Only Father can do that.  And you're not ready to become Father yet.  The psionics can keep the empath stable for a day, at most, before they exhaust themselves.  When that happens, it's quite likely that they'll die, as well.  The empath has no chance.  I'm sorry, Mr. Shelton.  I know you were very fond of him."

            "No!"  Blake jumped to his feet and grabbed Dr. Russell by the lapels of his coat.  "There has got to be a way to save him!"

            The doctor gently pried Blake's fingers loose.  "You have a chance to save all of humanity, Mr. Shelton.  Grieve for your friend and then honor his memory by saving billions rather than just one!"

            Blake dropped back into his chair.  "That one means more to me than billions!"

            "Is that what he'd want?"

            Blake went quiet.

            "Mr. Shelton?  You are going to help us.  We would much prefer that you acted as a willing agent, taking on the entity and then helping persuade it to cooperate.  But in the end, your cooperation isn't necessary.  All that is necessary is that you are brought into contact with the shards.  We'll keep you here while Unum's body continues to deteriorate, and then take you to the shards.  You will take on the entity, become Father, and our plan will be set in motion."

            Blake remained silent.

            Russell sighed, got to his feet, and squeezed Blake's shoulder.  "I cannot even begin to imagine what must be going through your head right now," he said.  "It's a shame that the world won't know who you are, what you've sacrificed to save us all.  But we'll know.  And no matter what happens, I want you to know that it's been an honor to meet you."

            "Take your fucking hand off of me."

            Blake's voice was so quiet it was barely a whisper, without a trace of menace.  But Russell immediately let his hand fall.  "It's not so bad," he urged.  "These will be your quarters.  And you are already a hero to us, because we know you'll save us all.  We understand what will cost you.  You're not only losing someone you care deeply about, but you'll lose your own humanity, as well.  If the entity cannot be controlled, you'll lose your life to destroy it.  And for that, we will treat you like a king.  We'll make you comfortable here, Mr. Shelton, provide you with whatever you want.  And even though you'll be locked in or restrained for your own protection, you actually will have a great deal of freedom.  For example, we've brought you your personal cell phone.  You can call out, speak to friends and family if you want because it can't be traced back and nothing you can tell anyone can be detrimental to our plans.  You can have full access to the internet.  Most of the facility here, including the gymnasium, library, and gardens are available to you.  All you have to do is ask for an escort.  We'll provide your own personal chef, tailor, personal trainer, anything you need.  Along with what you have right here, you'll also have access to a fully equipped studio.  You can write and record songs that we'll see delivered to your agent.  If you should, you know, need company, we can provide that as well, male, female, or both, whatever you prefer.  Your computer can access the CCTV so you can monitor the psionics if you wish.  And if you wish to be present, when the empath's time comes?  Of course we'll make it happen."

            "You'll do everything for me except save Adam or let me go, in other words."  Blake's voice was bitter.  "Welcome to Club Terra, the most luxurious prison on the planet!  All it costs you is your heart and soul, and the one person you love more than either one!"

            Russell smiled gently at him.  "You will save humanity, Mr. Shelton, one way or another.  And on behalf of Terra and all of humanity as a whole, I thank you."  He got to his feet.  "Is there anything that I can do for you right now?  Anything you want?"

            "You said I can call out?  Then I'd like some privacy to make a phone call."

            "Of course.  Your personal phone is there on the counter.  The landline is connected to the main switchboard.  Anything you want, simply dial the operator and ask."

            Blake waited until the doctor had gone.  Then he immediately got up and tried the door.  Locked.  Of course.  Blake pounded on it in frustration and thought for a moment.

            _"Nothing you can tell anyone can be detrimental to our plans."_

            Blake thought Russell might have been mistaken there.

            He went to his phone and took a deep breath, planning what he'd say, his eyes on the watch locked around his wrist.  Not enough time to think this through, try to come up with options.  Adam was already in trouble, and according to both Uno and Russel, he would only get worse.  It was time to act.

            Blake dialed the one number he thought he'd never dial.

            The call was picked up immediately.  "You told me that if I was ever in a situation where I couldn't find my way, I should think of you," Blake began.  "Help me, Unum.  Please!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun's comments: I knew he was gonna call him. Don't know what I would have done as him, he's got no acceptable options. I probably would have called, too.


	33. Monkey Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unum comes after Blake and Adam, bringing along some friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Diegetic music here is "Monkey Business" by Skid Row  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu8dBv-kiLM
> 
> Translation:  
> Pas possible - That's impossible

            "They've got access to nearly as much classified technology as we do," Unum reported.  "They're blocking the signal to the tracer bracelets, and of course the signal for this call is being scrambled.  They won't be able to access my end of this call, but they're no doubt recording you, so be very careful about what you say."

            "Got it.  Can you find us?"

            "I'll find you," Unum assured.  "I will search the entire planet to find you if I must, but Terra will stop at nothing to keep you."

            "Yeah, I got that impression.  They think they can use me to save the world."

            "I am aware of their ideations," Unum grumbled.  "Russell left quite the long-winded Dear John letter when he escaped.  A chat between us is long overdue.  But he isn't important.  As much as it pains me to say this, even my Seven is less important than you are.  You still have the watch?"

            Blake eyed the watch ruefully.  "Yeah, but you said, you know, blocking?"

            "Blocking the signal of those tracer bracelets is much harder than you may think.  Did they put anything else on you, any other bracelet or necklace or other item of jewelry?"

            Blake did a quick check.  "Not finding anything, but they've implanted things in my flesh before."

            "Try not to let them."

            "Great advice."

            "When the time comes, they are going to want to evacuate you.  Do whatever you have to do to keep them from taking you!"

            "Unum, Adam's dying!" Blake blurted.  "Three shot One, and if he's not integrated into Uno's trio…?"

            "I am aware of the situation.  Whatever you may think of me, be assured that I love my Seven as much as you do.  You did the right thing, calling me, and I'll find you both!  Can you access him at all?"

            "They locked me in, but they said I can watch him on the CCTV, and they'd let me be with him when…"  Blake swallowed hard.  "I don't know if they'll let me actually be with him before then or not."  He took a deep breath and hunched over, speaking softly and fast.  "I know y'all are well-trained and know what you're doing, but I'm going to go insane if I can't help somehow!  Is there anything I can do?"

            "Your eyes are aquamarine now?"

            Blake grimaced.  "Yeah.  Elton told you?"

            "Elton's given me a full report.  You should be able to sense Shard presence now.  Am I right?"

            Blake grimaced again.  "Yeah."

            "Then it will be difficult to hide my psionics from you.  Keep track of them as much as you can.  Another thing you can do is try to locate the generator that is producing the shield blocking the tracers.  It will be in a well-guarded area and requires a massive amount of power.  Look for high-voltage lines with redundant power generators.  Even if you can find it, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to access it.  But if you can pinpoint it, find a general location?  When we arrive, you can give us that information, we can take the generator out, and we'll have our exit option if we need it.  That will save a lot of time, and the faster I can get Seven reintegrated, the better."

            Blake forced the thought of Adam being reintegrated out of his mind.  "When 'we' arrive?" Blake asked in surprise.  "You're coming, too?"

            "All three of us are coming, Mr. Shelton!" Unum vowed.  His voice was a furious snarl.  "Terra has made its last fatal mistake.  They corrupted my Uno and my Dos, got my One and my Three shot, and then they took both my Seven and you!  We are coming, and we're going to make such an example out of Russell and Terra that no other group would dare to even think about crossing us again!  And don't worry, Mr. Shelton.  I will make absolutely sure you get your licks in.  By the time we're finished, the building you're in won't be much more than a memory, and neither will Terra!"

            "Before you go nuking the place from orbit, you should know that this doesn't change things between me and you," Blake warned.  "You've got a lot to answer for, Unum."

            "My reckoning is coming with no assistance from you, Mr. Shelton.  For now, we will put our differences aside.  Your rescue is top priority.  Even my Seven must come second to that.  Try not to let them drug you, take you away, or put any sort of device on you.  If you're forced, obviously we'll improvise.  But I will find you, and I will get you back.  I swear it!"

            Blake had nothing to say to that.

            "For now, just hold on.  I imagine you'll have company very soon, because they couldn't monitor my end of this conversation and they'll be pretty curious about that."

            "Why is that?"

            "The Company has taken great precautions to protect you, including certain failsafes in the event you're compromised.  The compass in your watch is more than a compass, Mr. Shelton, let's leave it at that.  But I've no doubt that they've recorded everything you've said.  You're likely about to have company.  Whatever they say or do, be calm, and don't let them hurt you."

            "I already pounded on that Dr. Russell a bit."

            "Not wise."

            "Don't care."

            Unum actually laughed.  "We're moving out now.  Stay strong, we will come for you."  And then he hung up without another word.

            Blake blinked at his phone for a moment, shook his head, and pocketed it.  He moved over to the couch, threw himself onto it, and draped one arm across his eyes.  _I'm sorry, baby, but I'm no hero.  I'm a man, a flawed man.  And I cannot let you die!_

            His body shook, self-revulsion making his stomach churn.  Had he just betrayed the man he loved, calling Unum for help even though he'd known full well that Unum would reintegrate Adam, permanently seal him into Uno and Dos's Shard trio?  Blake's actions had ensured that Adam would be locked into yet another portable prison.  But what other choice was there?  Adam would die or go insane without it.  Was that better?  Letting Adam be reintegrated would keep him alive, give Blake more time to find a way to get him out.  But over and over, Blake was being told that there was no escape from Adam's integration.  What if that was true?  Had he just allowed Adam to be dragged back into slavery, taken away his one chance at freedom? 

            Blake had been quick to realize his mistake.  They'd miscalculated.  When Adam and his brothers had asked Blake to break the shards, none of them had realized that, in order to destroy the shards, Blake first had to take on the entity.  But that meant the entity itself would likely be in control, and breaking the shards meant Blake would become Father permanently.  He might gladly reintegrate Adam then, and anyone else.  _No,_ he vowed.  _If there is anything left of me when I become Father, I will throw myself off a cliff, shoot myself in the head, step in front of a train, do whatever I have to do.  But I will end this.  Terra's right.  Shard's an abomination, a threat to all of humanity.  And I can't make Adam my slave, not even to save his life!  If I can't do anything else, I've got to free him, one way or another._

_But what the hell am I going to do now?  If the Company wipes out Terra, takes control of me, how can I stop this?  They'll take me to this LB1 place and I'll be just as much a prisoner there as I am here.  Except I don't know the Company's plans for me!  What if Terra's right about the entity wanting to invade?  Did I just pick the wrong side here?  Oh Shelton, did you just fuck up big time?_

****

            Blake had explored as much of the facility as he could under the guise of asking for a tour.  His Terra hosts hadn't said a word about his phone call, although he'd noted some speculative looks.  Blake had accomplished his goals.  He had a good idea of the layout of the building, knew where the secure cells that held Adam and the others were, and based on the sheer amount of humming high-voltage wiring in the area, thought he had an idea of where the generator Unum was looking for was as well.  His hosts refused to allow him to see Adam, much to his irritation.

            Now back in his cell, Blake paced restlessly.  He'd pulled up the CCTV images from Adam's cell, which also included audio feed.  Unfortunately, the audio didn't help much.  Uno and Dos spoke exclusively in French, and Adam didn't speak at all.  He did look a bit better to Blake's eyes.  He was up, moving around a bit for the first time since his seizure last night.  But his movements were jerky, almost robotic.  Left to his own devices, he ran right into walls or furniture.  Early on, they'd tried tethering Adam to the cot, but he'd gone into a full-fledged fit, screaming and fighting until they'd finally let him go.  Most of the time, Uno or Dos steered him gently towards the cot and pushed him down to either a sitting or lying position.  But Adam never was one to hold still, and he was quickly back up again.  The telepath was starting to show the first signs of strain, large dark circles showing under his eyes.  At one point, after Adam had come close to falling head first into the wall, Uno had raised his voice, yelling at Adam.  Dos had been quick to reprimand him, but it seemed clear to Blake that the situation couldn't go on.  Right now, all three of them were lying awake on the cot, Uno crowded next to Dos as she held a restless, squirming Adam.  Even Dos was starting to look drawn, Adam's constant movement keeping them awake when it was clear they badly needed rest. 

            Blake almost felt sorry for them.  Almost.  _Stay strong, baby, and hang on!  Help's coming!_

            Blake was surprised when Dr. Russell and a few men in Terra uniforms suddenly burst into his cell.  Always before, anyone wanting to come in had used the door chime to alert Blake to their presence.  Blake jumped up in alarm.

            "Mr. Shelton, I'm afraid it's become necessary to move you," Russell explained hastily.

            "What?  No way, you're not taking me anywhere!"  Blake moved warily back from the men.  "What's going on?"

            "Please don't fight.  It's a temporary relocation for safety reasons, just a minor inconvenience."

            _Yeah, a minor inconvenience, like maybe Shard dropping on your sorry asses like the wrath of God?_   "I think I'll take my chances," he said aloud.  "And I really do not like the fact that I'm being crowded right now.  How about everyone gets the hell away from me?"

            Blake wasn't surprised when he got tackled.  He fought with all his strength, managing to get some satisfying hits in before his arms were dragged back and handcuffed.  He kept struggling, kicking savagely at the men as he was pulled up.  But then he caught sight of a syringe in Russell's hand and immediately stilled.  "Alright!  Alright, I'm done.  Don't stick me.  Where are you taking me?"

            "Just come with us," Russell ordered, pocketing the syringe.

            Blake didn't have much choice in the matter.  The cuffs were way too tight around his wrists, but he doubted anyone would stop long enough to loosen them.  He was rushed through the building, up a set of stairs to a rooftop exit.  He could hear the helicopter long before they arrived and his heart pounded.  "Wait!" he cried, dragging his feet.  "What about Adam?  I'm not leaving without him!"

            But even as he spoke, he heard the screaming sound of tortured metal.  Their group froze, staring in shock as the helicopter bent and twisted, folding in on itself.  The pilot screamed once, and then was suddenly, shockingly silent.

            "It's Shard!  Down!" Russell yelled.  "Back down!  Get to the psionics!"

            Blake had been wondering why he hadn't heard any blaring alarms.  It was obvious now that the building was under attack.  Apparently, Terra didn't go for dramatic alarms.  But there was certainly sound now.  Music was blaring from every speaker, something loud and headbangy with a running melody, pounding cowbell, and lots of guitar.

            _"Kangaroo lady with her bourbon in a pouch can't afford the rental on a bamboo couch.  Collecting back her favors 'cause her well is running dry.  I know her act is terminal, but she ain't gonna die."_

            Certainly not Blake's choice of music, but it had "Elton" written all over it.  Blake suppressed a grin.  He tried twisting his wrists in the cuffs, but no luck.  His hands were rapidly going numb from lack of circulation.

            Screams and gunshots could be heard by the time they reached the secure wing.  Russell quickly roused Uno and Dos, assigned the largest of his men the task of carrying a squirming Adam, and once more they were rushing through the building.  Blake forgot everything else when he saw Adam.  The black and white image on the CCTV hadn't shown the pasty color of his skin, the emptiness of his eyes.  Adam looked like an animated corpse, and barely animated at that.  _I made the right choice,_ Blake told himself.  _He really is dying, and Unum's the only one who can save him now!_

            Then Blake sensed what could only be Shard presence ahead.  The group suddenly stopped.

            Standing in the hall ahead of them was a beautiful woman dressed as a gothic Lolita.  She carried an odd-looking staff in one hand made of metal with twisting, snake-like golden accents and a small plasma globe at the top.  Dr. Murray looked profoundly irritated as she faced off with a group of Terra operatives, all currently firing weapons at her.  With a snarl, she swung the staff.

            The air around the operatives seemed to somehow twist and warp.  There were no screams, just some odd, inhuman sounds.  But what made them no longer appeared human.  The operatives seemed to somehow _melt,_ collapsing into puddles of goo.

            Then her glowing green eyes turned to Blake's group, and her lips curled into a smile.

            "Back, _back!_ " Russell screamed.  "Fall back!  Chi, you need to provide us some protection!"

            "How can she protect anyone from that?" Uno exclaimed.

            "Oh, Dos!" Dr. Murray called.  "Someone very much wants to say hello!  Come here, lover, and give your little girlfriend a kiss!"

            Murray stepped aside and a familiar figure raced past her to dive on Dos.  Dos braced but still found herself sliding back as she struggled against Five.  Five's face was like a mask as he battled her.

            Uno snarled, moving forward, his eyes blazing.  Blake was about to shout a warning when he suddenly gasped.  "Pas possible!"

            "Hello, brother."  One was walking down the hall, his blazing eyes fixed on Uno.

            Uno narrowed his eyes.  He braced, glaring at One, and his eyes glowed brighter.  One stopped, facing off with him.  Blake's ears seemed to ring, his senses buzzing.  Up and down the hall, the lights began to flicker.  Then they burst in showers of sparks.  The very air seemed alive.

            "What are you waiting for?" Russell yelled.  "Shoot them!"

            "No!"  Blake's hands were trapped, but he still had options.  He barreled head first into the guards, sending the shots wide.  Adam jerked suddenly when Blake yelled, and the guard holding him dropped him.

            "Never mind the empath!" Russell ordered as the man reached for Adam again.  "Get Breaker!  Nothing else matters!"

            The big man grabbed Blake, dumping him over his shoulder.  "No, put me down!"  Blake cursed savagely and struggled with all his might as he was carried rapidly away.  In the dim emergency lights, he could see Five still battling with Dos, the two former lovers slamming each other into the walls, sending showers of plaster and concrete to the floor.  Somewhere behind them, Blake could still sense Uno and One, the blows they exchanged not visible but just as potent.  The guards were firing again, flashes of their weapons bright in the dusty dim, fearlessly facing against Dr. Murray and her deadly staff.  And Adam, where was Adam during this clash of titans?  "Put me down!  Adam!  _Adam!_ "

            But if Adam heard him and was capable of answering, Blake couldn't hear his response.

            Shard presence to the left.  Blake looked down a hall and saw Elton.  Not bothering with pistols, the man was wielding a machine gun that would have given Rambo feelings of inadequacy.  His face was flushed and furious as he spat lead.  "Elton, help!" Blake screamed, kicking frantically as he tried to throw himself off of his captor's shoulder.

            He was overjoyed when Elton came running out after them, swearing savagely as he chased after Blake.  Another group of Terra operatives ran past Blake's group straight at him.  Unable to use his Rambo gun in close quarters, Elton holstered it.  Then he charged forward and opened up the biggest can of ninja style whoopass Blake had ever seen.  Elton, it seemed, trained with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.  His fists and feet were a blur, as were the knives he threw or stabbed into his opponents.  Half a dozen men were down before Blake had time to blink.  Then Elton's blazing eyes returned to Blake's captors.  "Hey assholes!  That's my _boss_ you're fucking with!"

            "No, Elton!  Go back!" Blake yelled.  "Go back and get Adam!"

            "You're priority, boss!"

            "You want that fucking job, Elton?" Blake bellowed.  "Go get Adam or you're _fired!_ "

            By now, an even larger group of Terra operatives had raced past Blake and his captors from the direction they were headed, and suddenly Blake couldn't see Elton anymore.  Still, Blake could sense something from Elton's direction, something like a beacon that the Operations Leader sent out.

            As they raced down the increasingly empty halls, something else seemed to respond.

            And then, as they turned another corner and Blake could smell fresh outside air, Blake once again sensed Shard presence.

            The man carrying Blake stopped, gently let Blake down.  Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, twitching, at Blake's feet.

            Unum leaned heavily on a cane as he approached.  As always, the man was immaculate, perfectly dressed in an expensive tailored white suit.  He wore his dark glasses and walked with the assistance of a black cane, leaning on it with each step.  "Hello, brother."

            Russell had grabbed hold of Blake's arm, keeping the furiously kicking country singer with him and threatening him again with the syringe as Blake tried to pull free and run.  But now he stopped, clinging tightly to Blake.  The syringe suddenly shattered in his hand, and both Russell and Blake froze.  Russell went pale, his wide eyes fixed on Unum.  "You're on the wrong side, brother!" he insisted.  A bead of sweat ran down his face as he pulled Blake closer, his grip so tight on Blake's arm that he winced and considered headbutting him.  But the trick with the helicopter, Blake suspected, had been all Unum's doing, and this bit with the syringe confirmed it.  Whatever happened now, Blake knew it was best if he stayed out of it.  Much as he'd like another piece of Russell, this fight was Unum's.

            "I betrayed you, I know," Russell was saying, "but don't you see, the Shard entity needs to be stopped!  It's already altered human DNA, creating humans with unnatural psionic powers that never should have been born.  And now, irony of ironies, it wants a pure human to complete its plans!  You can't give Breaker to Father, brother.  If you do, Father won't just take him over.  You're connected to Shard, too!  Father will take you _all,_ bend all of your minds even more towards his purposes, and then the takeover will begin.  It won't happen fast.  It may take decades, centuries, with Father passing to a new host each generation.  But soon humanity as we know it will cease to exist, leaving only integrated Shard psionics in mindless slavery to the entity.  Is that really the future you want?"

            Not letting go of Blake, Russell extended one hand towards Unum, his expression pleading.  "This isn't you, brother.  You're not Unum!  Your name is Dr. Edward Jameson, and you're a man of science, not this monster!  Brother!  _Edward!_   You must stop!"

            "Don't worry brother," Unum soothed.  "No one will harm you now.  You're safe."

            Russell sagged in relief.

            "I'm taking you home," Unum assured, "just as soon as I get this filthy, stinking _monkey_ off of you!"

            Once again, Blake's ears rang as Unum's power surged.  Russell gasped once as his body was thrown by an invisible force to slam against the far wall.  Blake nearly went down.  He regained his balance in time to hear a sickening _snap,_ a series of them, so close together they stretched into a single sound.  Then silence, broken only by the sound of the doctor's broken body falling to the ground, his limbs at impossible angles.

            "Oh, brother, what have they done to you?"

            Blake turned and saw Unum coming closer, cane tapping on the floor.  He gestured, and the cuffs fell from Blake's wrists.  Blake stared stupidly at his hands, wincing at the pins and needles the return of circulation brought.  The cuffs had dug deep, making dark red marks in his wrists.  He frowned at this as Unum reached for him, took his shoulder.  Unum's face bore an expression of indescribable relief.  "They didn't hurt you.  Thank God!"

            Blake was in shock.  "N-no?  Just my wrists a bit.  I mean, Unum, what…?"

            Unum quickly took Blake's wrists in his hands.  They immediately tingled, the small cuts the cuffs had made into them healing instantly.  Then Unum's arms went around him, the man's impossible strength drawing Blake into a close embrace.  "It's alright now," he soothed.  "I suspected you would be this way, but now that I've seen you, I'm sure.  It's time to introduce you.  Come to me now, my brother."

            The Shard presence seemed to sing through Blake's veins, crackle through his nerves.

            _You found the generator?_

_Yes._

_Show me._

            There was a woosh, a flash of light.

            Humming power lines, a giant machine attached to massive generators and dials.  Fragile.  Easy to break. 

            _Take it down._

            Something surged, an energy, a force inside of Blake he'd never known.  Sparks flew as the machinery toppled to the ground.

            Awareness spread, found more Shard presence.  It was gathering together, joining outside.  The room with the generator was filling with smoke now.

            Another flash of light.

            Outside now, Shard presence all around, lending power, strength. 

            _Now, brother, finish what you have started!_

            Once more, that surge, far stronger now.  The process begun with the generator continued.  The building shook, walls tumbling.  Fires flared up as gas lines cracked to be ignited by showers of sparks.  The very foundation shook, the ground heaving.  Noise.  A rush of air, a towering plume of dust.

            And then it was over.  The force retreated, leaving him shaking and confused.

            "Damn, boss.  Very impressive bit of work, but do you think maybe you overdid it a bit?"

            Blake blinked in the bright sun and managed to focus.  Elton was standing nearby, a bright, approving smile on his face and his eyes on the smoking crater where the Terra compound had once stood.  Five stood a few feet away, his arms around One and Adam, who clung to his arms and each other much like they did in their beanbag.  All three were staring solemnly at Blake.  Murray was standing over Uno and Dos.  Uno appeared unconscious and was twitching and moaning pitifully.  Dos, covered in bruises and abrasions, sat on the ground with her arms around him, her face blank.  And Unum was still with Blake, his arm holding tight around Blake's waist.

            Unum looked up at Blake and his smile widened.  "Well done, brother!  Well done, indeed!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'mon, luvs! How would killing off the brothers and dumping Adam with barely-introduced characters have advanced the story? Oh ye of little faith! ;)
> 
> Mr. Fun said this still didn't "fix it." But he was very very glad to see the brothers back! He also liked the fight, especially the unseen telepathic battle between Uno and One. And he was pretty stoked at what Blake did!


	34. One Happy Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the fall of Terra, Blake must deal with what he is becoming. He and Unum have an illuminating chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an extra chapter, which should help clear up some questions. Enjoy!
> 
> Music I wrote this chapter to is "Brothers" by Vic Mignogna. For any fellow anime nerds out there, yes, this is the song from "Fullmetal Alchemist," and yes, that anime contributed a lot to this fic, so even though it doesn't fit as well as some of my other song choices, I've been kind of waiting to use it. Seemed to fit well here! And yes, that is the voice actor singing this song!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfAEMal84ag

            Blake sat at the table in the safehouse, a cold beer in his hands and his eyes fixed on the three figures in the beanbag.  Part of him still couldn't believe that One and Five were really there.  But there they were, back in their familiar group hug in the beanbag, integrating once more with Adam.  None of the three had spoken a word since One had greeted Uno at the Terra base.  They'd simply clung together and, on arrival here, gone directly to the beanbag.

            The outside of the house was crawling with the Company operatives who had helped in the rescue mission, ensuring there would be no more trouble.  But all of Shard was inside.  Murray was curled up on the sofa behind the brothers, working on her laptop and occasionally dropping a hand down to brush over Five's hair.  Unum was in the other room, speaking softly in French with Uno and Dos.  Blake hadn't been sure what to expect, but the gentle way that Unum spoke with and touched the wayward psionics had surprised him greatly.  It didn't seem that anyone was angry with the two at all.  If anything, Unum appeared to feel sorry for them.  He'd spent much of the ride over assuring them that they would continue to search for an empath for them and urging them to be patient, or at least that's what Elton had told Blake.  That conversation had also been in French.

            "Boss, I want to say, I'm really really glad you're alright," Elton told Blake.  "When I heard those shots and saw the mess in the music room, I about panicked.  Then the house was full of Terra and I was fighting for my life with no idea of where you'd gone.  By the time I got through them, they'd already taken you.  And there was One, missing his face and just about dead, and the doc on the floor with his eyes rolled back.  When I saw Seven was missing too, I figured out that Uno and Dos had taken you both, so I did the only thing I could do.  I told you how I'd only taken the resiliency portion of the chi power, but it's been growing?  Well, it came in handy.  I can't heal like the doc, but I kept One alive.  Barely.  Poor Three, with the way she angled that gun under her chin, she hit herself square in the brain stem.  But the human skull from the front is built tough, you know?  It's why I trained my men to aim for the back of the head.  But even so, three shots to the face?  One almost died!  Took me hours to heal him, drained me until I literally passed out, and meanwhile, One had been so far gone that he couldn't maintain his trio and his alignment with the doc was down to shit.  Thought for a bit there that I was going to lose him!  I'm betting it was worse with Seven, especially since he'd already been pulled partially out of their integration anyway.  He probably felt like One died!"  He shook his head.  "Poor guy.  Seven must have come close to falling out of it completely.  We're lucky he's even still alive!"

            Silence from Blake.  He held onto the untouched beer, his eyes on the brothers.  The skin on One's face was slightly paler in places on careful examination, giving the telepath's face a patchwork appearance that marked where new flesh had grown over his terrible wounds.  The ruby ring on his hand glittered as he clung to his brothers.

            "Of course, you were our biggest concern," Elton continued.  "We knew Terra had you, and honestly, we had no idea what they'd do with you.  Our most likely scenerio was that they'd just keep you hidden until Unum died and they could hook you up with the shards.  And you know, that's the thing that pisses me off the most about those guys.  They go on and on about how they're saving humanity and keeping the entity from taking over the planet, blah blah blah, but the dickhead in charge was mostly just was pissed off because Father didn't want him.  If he could have become Tres, he never would have given the rest of humanity a second thought!  I'll grant, he's the reason that I started watching my own levels, because he started grumbling that the entity was getting stronger in Unum and Duo.  But based on what we've gotten from Terra's files, they didn't want the entity dead.  Oh, sure, they'd planned to destroy Father if he became hostile, but they wanted to try to control him, first.  How's that jive with their grand philosophy, huh, boss?  If they really thought Shard was such an abomination and needed destroyed, then why try to control Father?  I mean, and don't take this the wrong way, boss, but if I was so sure Father was a monster, I'd let him get in you, have you break the shards, and then just shoot you, you know?"

            Silence.  Adam's face was peaceful in sleep as he rested his head against Five's shoulder.  Blake could almost delude himself that sleeping was all he was doing.  He thought maybe Five and One held onto Adam a bit tighter than usual, as if afraid he'd be stolen away from them again.  But based solely on what One and Five had done to Uno and Dos, it would be a long time before anyone tried to steal their empath again.  Dos had yet to heal all the wounds Five had given her, and Uno was still stuttering and glassy-eyed from his telepathic battle with One.  Still, looking at them now, it was hard to remember just how willing the brothers were to do extreme levels of violence to protect each other.  All three were silent and still.

            "Anyway, Terra obviously blocked the signal from the tracer bracelets with their stupid shield, meaning we couldn't trace you or flash you out.  So it's a damned good thing One's as tough as he is, you know?  Once I healed him enough that he woke up, he hooked back up with the doc pretty fast, the doc finished the job of healing him, and they both wanted out after Seven.  That's actually how we found you.  There isn't anywhere that you can hide an enhanced integrated psionic where the rest of the Shard trio can't find him, not without a full containment field!  And if they'd have used a full containment field, they'd have killed Seven for sure.  Not sure if they were trying to stay on your good side by not outright killing him or just trying to keep Uno and Dos under control in case we found them.  Probably the latter.  But then again, they probably didn't think they needed a containment field.  Uno and Dos had surrendered, after all, they had control of Seven, and they probably thought One was dead, which meant Five was dead too, or at least in bad shape.  I mean, you were there with Seven, so you knew how bad he was, right boss?"

            Silence.  Five twitched, shifting slightly.  Murray's hand again dropped to his hair, idly stroking the short sandy blonde locks as she read over what she'd written.  Then she was typing again.

            Elton cleared his throat.  "So basically, when you called, we knew you were with Seven.  So we used One and Five to pinpoint him, and we could find you, too.  Then it was just a matter of busting out the big guns and kicking some serious ass."  He brightened.  "Hey boss, did you like the song?  I use 'Renegade' for myself, but 'Monkey Business' is my theme song for the three of us, for those rare occasions when we really bust out.  Melissa's got what we call the Stem Staff that she made with the doc.  Did you see it?  It can reduce flesh down to stem cells.  Damned useful all around, classified Contained Threat.  Doesn't have much of a charge, but it packs a punch for as long as it lasts!  Then I've got what I call 'My Little Friend.'  I actually have that inscribed on the side of it.  Hell of a gun, designed it myself.  And of course Unum has, well, himself, but you know that."  Elton looked at Blake in awe.  "You know, boss, I knew, intellectually, what you'd be capable of.  But _damn!_   Hell of a thing to watch!  Unum went teleporting you around that base, you took down the shield generator, and then he flashed you both back outside and you said sayonara to that whole damned place.  That was amazing as fuck, man!  Your whole body was glowing and the base was just going all poltergeist, smashing in on itself.  And then you started cracking the fucking _foundation,_ I mean, holy mother of fuck!  The ground was shaking, boss!  It was the most epic thing I have ever seen!  That was some serious judgement day wrath of God shit, man.  You just stood there like this avenging angel, all scowly and glowing and bringing down the smiting, and Unum was standing there holding on to you, sort of leaning on you, really, 'cause he hasn't been doing real well, just smiling and so damned pleased!  We were all pretty damned impressed.  Unum couldn't have cracked the foundation, but you sure did!  Those Terra assholes did not know who they were fucking with, boss!"

            "John, why do you insist on calling him that?" Murray called irritably.

            "Because he's about to become our boss, Melissa, and I'm establishing the pecking order right from the start."  Elton's voice dripped with false sweetness.  "And if you pet the doc one more time I may just puke!"

            Murray's eyes narrowed as she looked over.  She immediately stroked Five's hair again, bent her fingers to caress the side of his face with the backs of her knuckles and then ran her fingers up the side of his neck.

            Elton stared cooly at her.  "Bitch."

            "Lick me, John!"  She waggled her tongue at Elton, and he bristled.

            "Enough."  Unum was returning to the room, leaning heavily on Dos, who walked with her arm around him for support.  Uno trailed behind, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket and his eyes fixed on the floor.  "Mr. Shelton is not interested in the tattered remains of your failed former marriage.  And Murray, leave my Five alone.  Do not disturb their integration!"

            Murray rolled her eyes, held up her hands in mock surrender, and went back to her typing.

            Dos helped Unum into a chair next to Blake.  She pulled up a chair next to the Shard Leader and sat close, holding his left hand with both of hers.  Her eyes were still glowing, supporting the Shard Leader's frail body.

            Blake continued to watch the brothers, his hands still around the rapidly-warming bottle of beer.  Unum looked at him for a moment, and then glanced at Elton.

            "He's got this strong, silent type vibe going pretty well," Elton reported.  "Starting to get scary, actually."

            "He's frightened, you imbecile!" Murray exclaimed.  "He's overwhelmed with his emotions, guilt, love, and most of all fear.  The fear seems largely related to that guilt and love.  Unum?"

            "I suspected as much."  Unum had removed his dark glasses, and his glowing eyes were hard as they fixed on Elton.  "Elton, after speaking with my Uno and my Dos, I'm afraid I must agree with your ex-wife's assessment of your intelligence status.  You know that you are the reason for this entire debacle?"

            Elton blinked.  "Huh?"

            "Whatever possessed you to check the compatibility levels for my Seven while you were in the same house as my Shard trios?"  Unum's voice had become sharp.  "You never could control your emotions…"

            "Oh I know that!" Murray called.

            "…And you became so excited when you saw my Seven's new compatibility numbers with his brothers that you alerted my Three, and, by extension, my Uno!  He had no trouble at all peeking into your mind and seeing what you'd discovered!  He knew before your operation that you were going to give my Seven back to his original trio.  That's why he did what he did!  And then, even knowing those readings, you still gave my Seven to him and my Dos for the evening?  How could you be so stupid?"

            "I'd already promised them they could have him!" Elton protested.  "Uno was demanding it before the op and it would have looked suspicious if I hadn't…!"

            "You damned fool!  Of course my Uno was demanding to have him!  It was the only way he could have compromised my One enough for his plan to be successful!  Thanks to your foolishness, I've lost my Three, my Uno and my Dos have suffered a serious setback, and my alpha trio is so far out of their alignment that they're barely coherent!  Now they have to integrate before I can even take them back to LB1 and reintegrate them with Father!  Completely unacceptable, Elton!  I'm putting you on report!"

            "Dammit, Unum!" Elton yelled.  "Ok, I fucked up big time, but was it really necessary to bitch me out right in front of Blake?"

            "I am aware of your activities, Elton," Unum declared, straightening.  "My Uno has told me how you have been attempting to ingratiate yourself to my brother.  I feel it's important for a boss to know _all_ of the attributes of a potential employee, good and bad.  Don't you?"

            Elton's jaw twitched.  "Enjoy yourself, Unum.  Once Blake takes over, you'll be singing a different tune, you son of a bitch."

            "Of course."  Unum seemed unperturbed.  "Murray, Elton, would you please take my Uno and go out for a bit?  I believe that my brother and I need to talk."

            The two rose and headed out, Elton with obvious reluctance.  He shot a long glance at Blake as he went out, worry evident in his eyes.  Blake didn't appear to notice.

            "Beautiful, isn't he?" Unum said quietly.  His eyes were fixed on Adam.  "I'll admit, I was smitten the first time I saw him, after I teleported into his living room to recruit him for Shard.  And it was never the fame, the band, or even his talent.  It's even more than just his looks.  He has this fire about him, this go to hell attitude that's somehow wrapped up in a tender vulnerability.  And when he looks at you, those eyes just see right through you, don't they?  Right to the heart of you."

            Blake blinked, his eyes at last moving to Unum.

            Unum continued to watch Adam, a sad, wistful expression on his face.  "I've never been an attractive man, brother.  Not like you, certainly.  And I'm afraid I've always aimed well out of my league when it came to my relationships.  Oh I've had lovers, even several relationships that I thought might last, but mine was a wandering eye.  I always wanted more!  But when I found him?  He was everything I ever wanted.  Beautiful, powerful, and of course completely out of my reach.  Until the day I integrated him."

            "You son of a bitch!" Blake snarled.  "You integrated him, took away his control, and then took advantage of him!"

            "I did, yes," Unum confessed.  "But have you experienced it, his empathic loop?  He can reflect your emotions back to you, and let you feel what he feels as well.  And what he was feeling for me was love, real love.  How could I help but respond to that?  Whatever else I am, in that respect, I'm all too human."

            "He never loved you, Unum!  It was his empathy!"

            "Do you think I don't know that?"  Unum looked sadly at Blake.  "Do you think I am not acutely, painfully aware that the only reason my Seven felt anything at all for me was because of the fact that part of Father resides in me?  Do you think I haven't looked in the mirror over and over and faced that I'll never have someone like him on his own terms?"  He scoffed.  "You couldn't possibly understand!  Look at you!  Men and women alike fall all over themselves for someone like you.  Someone like me?  I'm left with scraps, others like myself that nobody else wants.  So hate me if you wish, brother.  Because I do not regret one single moment that my Seven was mine."

            Blake's arm ached.  He realized that he'd picked up the bottle and was trying to smash it into Unum's face only when he looked and saw his own arm frozen in place, straining with effort.  With a grunt, he let his arm fall and glared at Unum.

            Unum was looking at Adam again.  "I understand you asked him to marry you?"

            "I did," Blake agreed.  "And he said yes.  You can't have him anymore, Unum.  He's with me!"

            "Give him to me," Unum said suddenly.

            Blake laughed.  "Is that a joke?"

            "I'm dying," Unum said.  "I can't imagine I'll survive it when Father leaves me.  Before I die, I want to marry my Seven, make him completely, totally mine just for a little while.  Then I'll be gone, and he'll be yours forever.  Is it so much to ask?  Won't you honor the last wish of a dying man?"

            "Adam is not a trophy, Unum!"  Blake spoke slowly and distinctly.  "He's not a prize or a status symbol.  He's a man, full of life and energy and purpose, and if you really loved him, you would not even ask that!  You'd want him to be happy, like I did when I first found out about you two and I thought you were what he wanted.  Dammit, Unum, that's what love is!  You put the other person first!"  He shook his head, disgusted.  "You have no fucking idea, do you?  All he is to you is a beautiful thing that you want to possess.  He is so much more than that!"

            "My Seven is an integrated Shard empath.  Your problem is that you continue to think of him as Adam Levine."

            "He _is_ Adam Levine!"

            "Then you're a fool," Unum said simply.  "But you'll understand, soon enough."

            "What I understand is that I am going to find a way to get him out of this," Blake vowed.  "I'll find a way to free everyone you forced into slavery by integrating them, even you, Unum!"

            Unum chuckled.  "You're naive, brother.  Shall we talk about what happened today at the Terra compound?  What you did?"

            Blake felt himself slip back into his shell.  He quieted, his eyes on the bottle of beer that dripped condensation over his fingers.  "That wasn't me, Unum."

            "I assure you, it was.  That is what you are becoming."

            "No.  You did something to me!  What did you do?"

            "I linked our minds, and then opened myself, letting Father flow into you.  It was only for a moment, but I was surprised at how strong the link was, how powerful you became!  I only gave you a taste, brother, just a glimpse of what you can do.  But soon enough, you'll be ready.  You're changing, evolving, leaving your humanity behind to become the perfect host for Father."

            "You mean as opposed to stinking, filthy monkeys like Russell?"  Blake scoffed.  "You know, you gave a lot of credence to his claim that Father's in control of you, rather than the other way around, with that little comment."

            Unum scoffed.  "Father's not really capable of being in control.  That's why he needs us, brother."  He crossed one leg over the other, his eyes still on Adam as the empath slept on, oblivious.  "Father is a force, one that seeks only to reproduce itself and become stronger.  For our Shard trios, it's difficult, I know.  We, as non-psionics exposed to the shards, take on our powers but remain ourselves.  But they are integrated, and feel the changes that Father produced in them take over.  I'm sure it's not easy, to be controlled, to feel everything that you once were slip away.  And so they fight it.  As a result, we must frequently reintegrate them, bring them back to full alignment."  Unum turned to Blake.  "But they're happy then, brother!  That's what you don't seem to understand.  They may be integrated and controlled, but their lot in life is not nearly as bad as you seem to believe.  Take my One.  My Dos, assist me, please?"

            Dos had been sitting like a statue through the conversation, her face blank.  Blake had almost forgotten she was there.  Now she assisted Unum up.  He moved towards the brothers, kneeling next to them, and reached out his hand, gently stroking One's cheek.  "From what I know, my One was very much in love with the woman who became my Three.  He never spoke of her, not even after I'd taken him from Breaker.  But before she was integrated with him, his thoughts were often on her.  In fact, I suspect that Breaker somehow used her, some threat against her, to finally break him."  He smiled, resting his hand on the side of One's face and looking down at him fondly.  "I know that my One seems frail, but he's anything but!  Did you know it took Breaker five days to break him completely?"

            "Yeah."  Blake was frowning.  "Could you maybe stop touching him?"

            Unum chuckled.  "I'm not hurting him, brother!  He doesn't even know I'm here."

            "That's the point.  He's helpless, Unum.  Take your hands off of him!  I shouldn't have sat on my ass while Murray was touching Five, and I'm not going to do it now with One!"

            Unum paused, looking up at Blake.  "My point is this.  My One longed for the woman he loved until the day she was integrated with him.  It was then that he learned the truth, both about her, and about himself.  She was mad, completely mad, and day and night she railed against him, trying to pull away, trying to draw him in, until I had to act to break the trio, remove both her and the chi.  When I did that, I expected my One to mourn.  But he didn't.  And after a time, I came to understand.  You see, he'd mourned when she was integrated, because he understood.  My One knew what they really were.  He'd lost her the day she'd been integrated with him.  Three wasn't the woman he loved, she was an integrated Shard empath.  And more important, he'd been integrated as well.  He was an integrated Shard telepath, and that wasn't something that was capable of loving her.  The only real emotions he could ever feel now would be the result of his being integrated with an empath.  And that was it for his humanity.  The day I pulled him out of that trio, the man he was died.  From that point forward, he has been, and remains, my One."

            "Gareth."

            Unum blinked in confusion.  "I'm sorry?"

            "Gareth Parland.  That's who he is.  And that's Dr. Matt Mellon, and that's Adam Levine.  They haven't died!  They're still in there, Unum, the people they really are!"

            Unum smiled at Blake like an adult would at a small child.  "The integrated psionics utilize the human memories to create the new being, but humans don't survive integration, brother.  Even Levine, for all his residual stubbornness, isn't really there.  Still, if it helps you to believe it…"

            "I've seen it!" Blake challenged.  "I pulled Matt out for a while and we spoke.  And Adam's in there, too!  I've seen him twice now.  I know Gareth's in there somewhere, and I'll find him, pull him out, too."

            Unum scoffed and reached for Dos to help him up.  "You're deluding yourself, brother.  It's not possible to speak to a human that's been integrated because they're nothing more than ghosts in the machine.  You spoke to the same thing you always speak with – the memories of the humans that once were, utilized by the integrated being they are now."

            "Sure, whatever you say."

            Unum looked sharply at him, and Blake felt it, Unum's power rising as the Shard Leader tried to peer into his mind.  Blake's eyes grew cold.  _Emotion, he's missing the empathic element.  If I hide my thoughts behind emotion, he can't read my mind!_   Blake drew on his emotions, creating a wall that he used to shield Nevaeh's name and everything he thought he might know about Adam.  _You're not getting that, motherfucker!  You didn't know about their names, and I'll be damned if you'll learn it from me!_

            "Stay the hell out of my head," Blake said aloud.

            "You honestly believe it, that you've spoken to the humans inside of my Five and my Seven!  That's remarkable, but sad.  In time, you'll understand.  It's not possible to ever pull an integrated psionic out of integration, not even for a friendly chat.

            Blake kept his poker face, even as the bright light of hope shone in his soul.  _I know something you don't!_

            Unum returned to his seat.  "You wanted to know what I did at the Terra compound.  It's quite simple.  I opened myself up, allowed the entity to access you.  I'm afraid it overwhelmed you a bit, didn't it?"

            Blake shuddered.  "It was like this huge thing inside of my head.  I felt like I was in a daze, like I was somehow just watching things happen rather than just being there."

            Unum nodded thoughtfully.  "Oh yes, I remember.  The entity entered you quite eagerly, and it was clear that you had no control at all.  So I stayed with you, guided you, showed you how to direct the power.  And you used it to take down the compound.  Quite handily, I might add!  You're powerful, brother, perhaps even more powerful than I.  But it's going to take a great deal of effort, I'm afraid, before I can show you how to control your power."

            Blake cocked an eyebrow.  "So you're going to teach me?"

            "Who better?"  To Blake's surprise, Unum took his hand.  "I thought it would take longer, but you've progressed far faster than I anticipated!  When we get to LB1, I'll reintegrate my – our – alpha trio.  That will keep them under control.  Then we'll work together, you and I, to help you develop.  I anticipate that you'll be able to permanently take on Duo by the end of the week."

            Blake swallowed the cold knot of fear and focused again on the sleeping brothers.  "I thought they were integrating now?  Why do you have to reintegrate them?"

            "Right now, they're working very hard to return to baseline, which is 80% alignment," Unum explained.  "They don't drop below that unless there's an outside influence, and, well, you saw how bad it gets when they go below baseline!"

            "But they're fine at baseline!" Blake argued.  "They've been fine!

            "We need them at full alignment.  We're going to need what they provide, and I'll not have you distracted with them moping about miserable.  They really are happier when they're in full alignment, brother."  He paused.  "Murray said you were afraid."

            Blake shuddered.  "I am scared shitless."

            "Because you liked it, didn't you?  The power?  Part of you reveled in what you were able to do, and that terrifies you!"  Unum squeezed his hand.  "But you can learn to control it, brother.  Now you know what you can become, how can you not want it?"

            "Plain old hobbit sense," Blake said.

            Unum blinked.  "Come again?"

            "Samwise," Blake explained.  "Lord of the Rings?  LB1 under a rock or something?  Never mind, if it's like that doorknob base, it probably is.  Anyway, Samwise was this hobbit, this normal bumbling little guy, and he came across this ring of great power.  When he picked it up, he had this moment where he felt that power and what he could become.  And he rejected it, because he knew what he really was, that he wasn't this great and powerful being, just a normal guy.  I thought about him a bit ago, and realized we're the same.  I'm being thrust into this situation where I'm expected to become this great and powerful being, but I'm a country hillbilly!  I used to play basketball with a knothole in a tree.  I drive a pickup, I drink beer, hell I have to remind myself that I'm a superstar because that's not me at heart.  That's half the reason I agreed to do 'The Voice,' for a chance to bring some plain common sense into the music industry and help out some new folks just starting.  I get how easy it is, to let that shit go to your head.  When you're on that stage and folks are screaming your name, sure, it's a hell of a rush.  But in the end, all they want is to be entertained, and if it isn't you up there, it's the next guy.  You're no different standing on that stage than anyone else down there looking up at you."  He looked at Unum.  "You've got all these flashy powers, Unum, and fucked-up DNA and glowing eyes.  And you've got it in your head that it makes you different, better than everyone else.  But guess what, pal?  You're still the same guy you always were.  You're a filthy, stinking monkey just like the rest of us."

            Unum's lips pressed together in a thin line.  "You'll feel differently once you become Duo."

            "Keep telling yourself that, asshole."  Blake brightened.  "Hey, guys, finally waking up?"

            Unum looked and saw the brothers sleepily blinking awake.  A smile spread across his face as he turned to Dos.  "My Dos.  Help me up."

            Dos helped Unum up.  Blake rose as well, frowning as he watched him.  When he reached forward, Blake tensed, expecting him to grab Adam.  But it was Five he wanted.  He caught Five's arm and pulled the startled, half-asleep chi to his feet. 

            "Dammit, Unum!" Five exclaimed, getting his balance as One and Adam were all but dumped.  "I would have gotten up!  Stop yanking on me!"

            At least he sounded alright, and had some of his usual spirit back.  But his eyes grew wide as he looked at Unum.  "Unum, what the hell?  How long have you been away from LB1?"

            "It doesn't take long anymore.  My Dos, you're exhausted.  Go and join your brother and tell Elton and Murray to return.  My Five can assist me now."

            "Dos?"  Five's blue eyes were troubled as they found the other chi.  He reached hopefully towards her.  But she only turned away, her face blank.  The hurt this produced in Five's eyes made Blake wince.  Five took a step, seeming to want to follow her.  But Unum pulled him back and threw an arm around his neck, leaning on Five's shoulder.  Five grimaced.  Then he sighed and his eyes began to glow.  "I got you, big brother."

            "You always do, my Five."

            One and Adam had gotten to their feet, their eyes warily on Unum.  But when Blake started towards them, they brightened.  Blake dragged them both into a hug.  "Adam, I thought I was going to lose you," he declared, his voice rough.  "And One, I thought I _did_ lose you, you and Five both!"

            "Rather thought you did as well, mate," One called.  The telepath was trembling as he clung to Blake, but he quickly ducked away, adjusting his shirt and trying to reclaim his dignity.

            Adam stayed in Blake's arms, but turned to look at One.  "What the hell, man?  All I remember is where We were.  It feels like _I_ died!"

            "I thought you did!" Five called.  "We could barely sense you, and…"

            "Let's leave that bit of unpleasantness behind us, shall we?"  Unum's voice was stronger now, seeming to have regained some of its steel through contact with Five.  "It's past time we returned to LB1."

            The mood immediately darkened.  Keeping an arm around Adam, who still clung to him, Blake wrapped an arm around One's waist and pulled him closer.  "What's going to happen?" he asked.  He held the two brothers tightly, ignoring the way One squirmed and shot him pointed looks, obviously wanting loose.

            "Nothing.  We Project Leaders will go first, and then I'll flash in my Uno and my Dos, as they'll have to be confined to quarters…"

            "Dammit, Unum!" Five protested.

            "…And then I'll flash in my One, my Seven, and you, brother," Unum finished.  "Afterwards, I'll start flashing groups of our operatives outside, but that won't be for a while.  There's a certain amount of clean-up work…"

            "What about Five?" Blake interrupted.

            Unum smiled fondly at Five.  "My Five, of course, is going with me."

            "Wait, you're taking Five?  Unum, these guys have gone through hell.  How about we don't separate them for a while?"  It was precisely why Blake was holding onto Adam and One, trying to come up with an excuse to pull Five away from Unum.

            Five didn’t look happy, but waved off the concern.  "He needs me, Blake.  It's alright."

            There wasn't much Blake could say to that.  The other Project Leaders had returned and stood near Unum, reaching into their pockets for familiar-looking yet removable bracelets.

            Blake let go of Adam and One, to Adam's disappointment and One's relief.  He stepped forward and tapped Elton's shoulder.  When Elton turned around, he whispered quickly into his ear.  Elton raised an eyebrow, nodded, reached into another pocket, and handed something to Blake.  Unum watched the exchange suspiciously.  "What was that?"

            "Nothing you'd be interested in," Blake replied cooly.  "Just garbage to you, but it holds some value to me."

            "He's telling the truth," Elton assured, shrugging.  "Read me if you don't believe me, Unum."

            Unum frowned at Elton, rolled his eyes, and shook his head.  "Let's get going."  His eyes blazed, and a moment later, there was a flash of light and all four vanished.

            "Dammit!" Blake cursed.  "I really wanted to keep you three together.  I don't trust those other two, or Unum!"

            "I understand your concern," One said, glancing outside towards where Uno and Dos had just vanished in a flash of light.  "But don't worry.  When you forced us to face up to the truth about what happened when Seven joined us, it caused our compatibility to finally go where it should have been all along.  Now our trio can't be broken by any normal means.  The only reason Uno was able to steal Seven from me was because I allowed it, because I'd been ordered to.  I let Uno pull him partially out of our integration, and he took advantage to try to steal him completely!  But the three of us are at 97% compatibility.  It's just as is with me and Five.  Not even Unum can break our trio now!  And I don't care what anyone orders me to do, I'll never willingly let them go!  No one can take my brothers from me again!"

            Blake sagged in relief.  Then something caught his eye and he looked at his watch.  Bright glyph-like markings were dancing around the band, growing brighter.

            "Bend your knees, Blake!" Adam advised.  "And then hold still once we get there.  It won't be what you expect, and you'll need a little help."

            The glyphs blazed, a familiar wooshing sound filled his ears, and light filled the world. 

            Then it was dark, beyond dark, darker than the deepest cave where no light ever reached.  Blake started to panic when there was another woosh, another flash of light, and the world returned.

            Blake was standing in an odd device made of delicate-looking twisting metal spires that arched over his head to join at the center.  What appeared to be a disco ball made of dancing violet light was suspended overhead at that center, casting a violet hue that filled up the device without extending beyond its base.  The base appeared to be made of a mixture of metal and crystal, somehow joined together in concentric alternating circles.

            Unum was already in the other room, but Five was waiting with a smile.  "Let me have your hands, buddy," he instructed Blake.  "We'll help you."

            "We warned him it wouldn't be what he thought," Adam called.  For some reason, all three were smirking.

            "Ok, this is pretty neat, but…  What the _hell?_ "  Blake had taken a step forward and found himself bouncing in the air.  The brothers, laughing, held onto him, steadying him.

            "We did warn you, mate," One laughed.  "Let's help him to the window, shall we, brothers?  Blake, you can't take proper steps, you rather need to shuffle.  Seven, show him?  Like that, see?  Steady on, it's not at all like you're accustomed to and does take a bit of getting used to.  Another step, brilliant!  Righto, a few more steps, and we're there!"

            Blake bit back a curse, managing a half-shuffle half-bounce and no small amount of nearly faceplanting if the brothers hadn't been there.  But he somehow made it to the window, where he clung to the sill.

            Then he looked outside, and forgot how to breathe.

_"We could always sense One's presence.  There was nowhere on Earth that Unum could hide him where we couldn't sense him."_

_"Bang zoom to the moon, Alice!"_

            _"He even sent me an image of the Earth from the moon once.  No idea what that was supposed to mean!”_

            Blake understood now how it was that Unum had managed to keep One hidden from Breaker.

            Outside of the window was a bleak, barren landscape of pale rock.  The ground was pitted and empty as far as the horizon.  But hanging in the sky, casting a blue glow that brought an eerie loveliness to the desolate landscape, was the beautiful blue orb of the Earth.

            "Pretty neat, huh?" Adam laughed, clapping Blake on the shoulder.  "Welcome to Lunar Base One!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun: Says he still likes Elton and Murray is still scary. Was surprised to find out they were married, but that makes sense. Very much enjoyed what Blake said to Unum. Wonders what Blake got from Elton. Said he feels stupid he didn't guess the truth about LB1.


	35. The Heart of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left to his own devices to explore LB1, Blake enters a restricted area and encounters his biggest fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Blake is singing is "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKhcTfskXJ4
> 
> Diegetic music:  
> "I Will Always Love You" - Whitney Houston  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37WfQcS5-H4
> 
> "Riot Act" - Skid Row  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_qUdbtd6tw
> 
> "Get The Fuck Out" - Skid Row  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1ba7siHjM

            Blake was starting to get the hang of walking in the lower gravity of LB1, but still found himself clinging to handrails along the walls.  He scowled at the people walking by, moving in that shuffling gait as if they'd strolled around on the moon all their lives.  His own gait was awkward, bouncy, and frequently putting him at imminent risk of hostile contact with the walls or floor.  But at least everyone seemed friendly.  Calls of "Hello, Mr. Shelton!" and "Welcome to LB1!" followed his progress, usually accompanied with cheerful smiles and frequent offers of assistance.  The latter usually came after he'd had to grab frantically to something to keep from landing on his ass.

            He wished the brothers were with him.  Unum had offered him the chance to remain, but all three of the brothers had urged him to explore.  They'd explained that the base was neatly divided into three main sections, all properly labeled.  Blake wasn't concerned about finding his way back to Shard section.  He considered Operations, but figured that would be mostly military stuff.  He'd had about enough of military stuff for the time being.  He could have explored more of Shard section, but that was out, as it was clear that the brothers were in for some sort of dressing down from Unum.  It was probably was why they'd encouraged Blake to explore.  That pissed Blake off.  It wasn't their fault Adam had been stolen from them, so what was there to yell at them about?  Blake wanted to make a fuss.  But the three had made it obvious that they didn't want him involved, so he'd had little choice but to leave them alone with Unum.  He could certainly understand that they didn't want to be yelled at in front of him.  But he hadn't liked the way the brothers had looked when he'd gone and they'd faced Unum, especially One.  More and more, Blake found himself feeling protective of One.  After everything the young telepath had been through, Blake was glad that the brothers worked as hard as they did to protect him.  But no one seemed able to shield One from Unum, and Unum obviously cowed the young Brit like no one else could.  It was becoming clear that Blake needed to continue his chat with Unum about many things concerning the brothers.

            For now, it looked like he would be visiting Data section.

            To cheer himself up, Blake sang as he went.  _"Fly me to the moon, oh let me swing among those stars!  Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.  In other words, hold my hand!  In other words, baby, kiss me!"_   The song had been stuck in his head since he looked out the window.  He got some looks, complete with more smiles and the occasional rolling eye.  Blake assumed that he certainly wasn't the first person to go down the halls for the first time on LB1 singing it.  He didn't care.  It helped to lighten his mood.

            Blake followed the signs, turning into the hall leading to Data.  He noted that the main entrance of all three sections was sealed by a huge metal door with a scanner next to it.  Blake raised his watch to the scanner.  There was a beep, a green light came on, and the door opened.  Unum had told him that, at security level gamma, Blake would have full access to all but the most classified areas, which was a far greater security clearance than the brothers.  Blake had quickly figured out that, since the main doors to each section were marked gamma, this meant the brothers couldn't leave their own section.  That was another item to address on Blake's agenda.  If he really was going to end up in charge here, there would be a lot of changes made, and giving the brothers far more freedom was near the top of his list.  It was absurd that they were locked in their own section until someone Blake's level or higher let them out.  That made Shard section almost a cage for them!

            Data section was somehow even busier than the central hub he'd just passed through.  People in lab coats were scurrying about, carrying clipboards or notepads or data entry devices.  Others were standing at terminals along the wall, typing at touch screens or looking at information.  Like everywhere else, Latin letters marked the doors, indicating security level.  Ignoring the few beta doors he knew he couldn't access, he poked his head into the first gamma door and discovered what looked like some sort of biochemistry lab.  Different colored liquids bubbled through glass tubes while techs worked.  It was interesting.  Blake watched for a while, returning the friendly waves he received.  Then he moved on.

            Blake was about to poke his head into the next door when one of the unused data terminals on the wall flashed.  For just an instant, Blake could have sworn he saw his own name.  He frowned, looking at the screen.  Sure enough, it flashed the word "BLAKE" for a split second.  "What the hell?"  He looked around, but no one else appeared to be paying attention.  Then a smiley face appeared on the terminal, followed by an arrow pointing down the hall.  Then once more, it appeared no different than any other.

            Blake went where the arrow indicated.  Here and there, directing arrows flashed on various terminals, so fast he'd miss them if he'd blinked.  To test, he started moving around the other way and saw an X appear on the terminal he faced, followed by a frowny face.  He turned back around, saw the smile, and obligingly followed the arrows.  It was clear he was being monitored.  The only screens that flashed were those in Blake's direct line of sight, and the flashes were so quick that no one who hadn't been looking directly at them could have noticed.  The directional signs on the walls told him that he was heading towards something called "Hardwire."  That rang a bell.  The arrows guided him in the same direction as the signs, and he soon came to another sealed door.

            The door was another metal door with a scanner, not much different than the one Blake had passed through to enter Data section.  But an alpha symbol marked the door, meaning it was well above his security clearance.  Blake raised his watch to the scanner anyway and wasn't surprised when ACCESS DENIED, INSUFFICIENT SECURITY LEVEL flashed on the small screen above the scanner.  The light remained red.  Typical.  Blake looked around, but no one else was present in this section of hall.  "Ok, what was the point of bringing me here?" he said aloud.  "Why guide me to a door I can't open?"

            No response.  He was about to turn away when the door suddenly beeped.  OVERRIDE IN PROGRESS appeared on the screen.  ACCESS GRANTED.  WELCOME, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON!

            Well!  That certainly piqued Blake's curiosity.  He waited until the door opened and stepped inside.

            Unlike the other rooms, this one was oddly empty, and very dark.  A giant flatscreen covered the entirety of one wall.  Currently, it was displaying a pattern of flowers and spinning hearts.  Multiple computer stations and chairs lined the walls.  A large dark column took up an odd amount of space, positioned as it was in the center of the room.  This looked like a computer geek's wet dream, and Hardwire, apparently, was the name of the geeks who worked here.  Blake recalled Adam telling him that they'd been the ones who had discovered he was an empath.  But no, that wasn't right.  When the brothers had learned that the picture of One on Alicia's phone hadn't been erased, they'd spoken harshly of Hardwire, as if the name belonged to a single person.  Maybe it was the code name for the head geek?

            Then Blake realized he could hear music.  Piping in through speakers placed through the room, Whitney Huston's voice was softly singing the first chorus of "I Will Always Love You."  Blake looked quickly around, hoping he hadn't just walked in on a romantic tryst.

            WELCOME, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON, the giant screen displayed, hearts and flowers still dancing around the words.  YOU ARE EVEN MORE HANDSOME IN PERSON!

            Blake blinked.  "Uh, thanks?"  He looked around again, spotted a camera aimed at him, and waved.  "This doesn't really count as in person, though, friend, if you're watching me on CCTV."

            CANNOT BE HELPED.  THE CAMERAS SERVE AS MY EYES, AS I WAS BORN WITHOUT THEM.

            "Oh.  Sorry.  Well, that was awkward, but I guess that means this is in person."  He smiled at the camera, moving towards it.  "I take it you're Hardwire?"

            I AM.  I HAVE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT YOU!

            The music changed, turning into an audio collage of Blake's biggest hits while the monitor displayed clips from his videos.  Blake chuckled.  "So, you're a fan?"

            I AM!

            "Well, then, I'd be happy to shake your hand!"

            I WOULD LOVE THAT!  BUT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE.

            Blake frowned.  "Oh?  Something wrong?"

            I DO NOT WANT TO UPSET YOU.

            The frown deepened.  "Upset me?  Why would you upset me?"

            BECAUSE I AM TOLD THAT I AM DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT.

            Blake considered this cryptic statement for a moment.  Then he shrugged.  "Well, friend, it's up to you.  But I'd love to actually meet you, if you're interested.  Always nice to meet a fan, and you seem to be a big one!"

            The screen went dark except for a blinking cursor.  Blake waited, letting Hardwire think it over.  And then suddenly, the lights went on in the room.

            TURN AROUND.

            Blake did, and blinked in surprise.  With the lights up, the odd column was revealed, and so was the figure inside.  Blake moved closer, head tilted to one side as he examined Hardwire.  Not sure what else to do, he placed his hand on the transparent column over the stub of the cyborg's right arm and slid it a few inches up and down, as though shaking the non-existent hand.  "I guess this is the best we can manage.  Pleased to meet you, Hardwire."

            Inside the column, the withered body twitched.  The lights flickered for a moment.  Then once more, Whitney Houston's voice came from the speakers, this time at a volume that made Blake wince, full voice on the final chorus.

            _And I-I-I will always love you-oo-oo, will alllll-ways love you, oh…!_

            OH!  OH!  OH SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON!  I TRIED SO HARD TO IMAGINE THIS MOMENT, WHEN WE WOULD FINALLY MEET!  I TRIED TO BE PREPARED FOR REJECTION, FOR DISGUST, FOR FEAR, AND FOR YOU JUST BEING A KIND AND DECENT MAN AS SHARD SEVEN DESCRIBES, BUT YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!  I'VE SCRAMBLED MY OXYGEN FEEDS!  I FEEL FAINT!  SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON SHOOK MY HAND!  HE SHOOK MY HAND!

            Blake couldn't help but laugh.  "Glad I could make your day, buddy!  Think maybe you could turn down the volume just a bit, though?"

            The music abruptly ceased, and once more, the lights flickered.  FORGIVE ME.  I WAS OVERLY EXCITED.  YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME!

            "I'm getting a hint.  Adam mentioned you, actually, said you… were a fan," Blake explained, stopping at the last moment from admitting Adam had mentioned the cyborg had a crush on Blake and had sabotaged their attempts to wipe his memory in order to force them to bring him here.  Blake was glad it had happened now.  Besides, Hardwire's crush was pretty obvious.

            SHARD SEVEN MENTIONED ME TO YOU?  HE IS SUCH A GOOD FRIEND!

            "Well, truth be told, he was a little upset that you hadn't erased that picture of One from Alicia's phone," Blake confessed.

            ONLY BECAUSE SHARD ASSHOLE REINTEGRATED HIM.

            Blake cocked an eyebrow, amused.  "Shard Asshole?  Don't know that I've met anyone by that name!  Oh."  And now he burst into laughter.  Hardwire had just put the infamous goatse picture on the screen, with a miniature picture of Unum's face positioned directly over the exposed rectum. 

            YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LAUGH!

            "And you have a beautiful sense of humor, Hardwire!  Oh man, what a picture!"  Blake wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.  "Well, from what I know of the guy, I can't say that I disagree with your assessment.  Last I saw him, he was about to start yelling at Adam and his brothers.  Wish I knew what was going on there."

            AS THE CENTRAL COMPUTER HUB OF LB1, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU WISH TO KNOW.

            Blake brightened.  "Well!  That's handy!"  He rubbed his hands together, waggling his eyebrows at Hardwire in his column.  "Ok, let's peek.  What's going on?"

            SHARD ONE, FIVE, AND SEVEN HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE SHARD ROOM AND RESTRAINED.  THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REINTEGRATED BY FATHER.

            All of the humor was immediately gone from Blake's face.  _"What?"_

            I HAVE CAMERAS AND MICROPHONES ALL OVER LB1 AS PART OF MY MONITORING DUTIES.  I HAVE BEEN MONITORING YOU SINCE YOU ARRIVED, AND HEARD WHAT WAS SAID SINCE YOU LEFT SHARD SECTION.  YOU WERE NOT TOLD THE TRUTH, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.  OBSERVATION - SHARD ONE, FIVE, AND SEVEN KNEW THAT SHARD ASSHOLE WOULD REINTEGRATE THEM THE FIRST CHANCE HE GOT.  CONCLUSION – THEY DID NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW, AS THEY LIKELY REALIZED HOW MUCH THIS INFORMATION WOULD UPSET YOU.

            "That son of a…!"  Blake ran for the door and raised his watch to the sensor.  Once again, he was denied access.  He pounded on the door.  "Hardwire, let me out!  You're the one who let me in here, right?"

            I AM.  BUT PLEASE DO NOT GO.  YOU CANNOT GO TO THEM, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON, AS NOT EVEN I CAN ALLOW YOU ACCESS TO THE SHARD ROOM.  IT IS RESTRICTED TO PRJOECT LEADERS ONLY.  EVEN IF I COULD, I WOULD NOT ALLOW IT, AS SUDDEN EXPOSURE TO THE UNSHIELDED SHARDS WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.  YOU CANNOT STOP THE PROCESS OF THEIR REINTEGRATION.  IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

            _"Fuck!"_   Blake kicked the door.  "Fuck me!  I shouldn't have left them alone, Hardwire.  That fucking Unum!  He's forcing them right back into their integration, right back into thinking he's wonderful and they really want to be here when I know damned well they want out!  Dammit, they're stronger than him and they know it now!  Why didn't they fight?"

            LB1, ESPECIALLY SHARD SECTION, HAS BEEN DESIGNED WITH THEIR PSIONIC ABILITIES IN MIND.  THERE ARE CONTAINMENT FIELDS, TRANQUILIZING GAS AND DARTS, ARMED GUARDS, AND MULTIPLE REDUNDANT SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE TO PREVENT THEM FROM REVOLTING. 

            "So, what, they just let him do it?" Blake asked incredulously.

            ONCE THE TELEPATH IN AN INTEGRATED SHARD TRIO IS CONFINED, THE OTHER TWO MEMBERS ARE FAR LESS LIKELY TO RESIST.  IN THE ALPHA TRIO, SHARD ONE TYPICALLY NO LONGER RESISTS BEING TAKEN IN.  TODAY HE BALKED, REFUSED TO GO INSIDE, RESULTING IN UNUM PHYSICALLY CARRYING HIM TO HIS CHAIR. 

            "I can't believe Adam and Five let him do that!"

            SHARD FIVE AND SHARD SEVEN DID RESIST THE REMOVAL OF SHARD ONE.  IT IS UNUSUAL FOR THEM TO RESIST ORDERS, EVEN AT BASELINE.  HOWEVER, IN THE PAST, SHARD FIVE HAS TESTED NEARLY ALL OF THE COUNTERMEASURES TO PREVENT SHARD ONE FROM BEING TAKEN INTO THE SHARD ROOM.  EVEN HE HAS LEARNED THAT THEY CANNOT ESCAPE.  AS A RESULT, THEY USUALLY GO INTO THE SHARD ROOM WITH LITTLE TO NO RESISTANCE.  THEIR RESISTANCE TODAY WAS UNUSUAL AND WILL BE STUDIED.

            "So, once One's locked down, Adam and Five stop fighting?"

            LARGELY CORRECT. 

            "Why?  If he's trapped, I'd think the other two would fight harder to get him out!"

            THEY ARE AN INTEGRATED SHARD TRIO.  WHEN THE TELEPATH IS TRAPPED, THIS IS TRANSMITTED TO THE REST OF THE TRIO.

            "Adam doesn't help him with that?"

            SHARD SEVEN IS AS AFRAID OF REINTEGRATION AS SHARD ONE.  BESIDES, IT IS A FUNCTION OF THE INTEGRATION, NOT AN EMOTION.  THE WILL TO FIGHT MUST COME FROM THE TELEPATH, NOT THE EMPATH.  SHARD SEVEN CAN ENCOURAGE SHARD ONE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING, BUT IN THE END, THIS MUST BE THE CHOICE OF SHARD ONE.  TO DATE, ONCE HE HAS BEEN PHYSICALLY OVERPOWERED AND RESTRAINED, SHARD ONE HAS SHOWN NO FURTHER WILL TO FIGHT.

            Blake sighed.  "Poor kid's just too broken to keep fighting, and that breaks the whole trio.  So, Unum just dragged him in, and that was the end of it?"

            PLAYBACK IS AVAILABLE.  DO YOU WISH TO ACCESS?

            Blake considered, and then he nodded.  "Yeah, show me what happened."

            The monitor displayed some brief scenes.  There was Unum, standing before an opened doorway, carrying a kicking, thrashing One with one arm around his waist.  Unum's other hand was gesturing the other two back.  The audio completed the scene, all three brothers yelling at Unum to let One go, and Unum simply ordering the other two to move back.  One continued to struggle, yelling to be put down, but the other two obeyed, their faces contorted in frustrated fury as they watched him be carried inside, the door closing behind them.

            "One's more powerful than Unum!" Blake exclaimed.  "Why didn't he make that bastard let him go?"

            SHARD ASSHOLE IS ALSO A TELEPATH.  IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR A TELEPATH TO CONTROL ANOTHER.

            "Ugh, that's the same problem with empaths!  And if you control the telepath, you control the trio," Blake sighed, watching on the tape as Adam and Five seemed to wilt once One was gone.  "They stopped fighting after that?

            The image changed.  Unum had returned and had Five by the arm.  Again, both Five and Adam were yelling at him to stop, but this time, Unum simply glared at Adam and pointed to a chair.  Blake shook his head as Adam meekly went to it, making no move to stop Unum as he dragged Five into the room.  Five was obviously resisting, but Unum was determined, pulling on his arm until Five stumbled forward through the door.  Then the final scene showed Adam, still seated in the chair when Unum returned.  Adam rose, went to Unum, and slapped the Shard Leader sharply across the face.  Then he'd simply turned and walked through the doorway.

            "Well, glad Adam at least had enough left of himself to do that," Blake grumbled.  "It's unreal, how much control Unum has over them!"

            THE CONTROL OF THE INTEGRATION IS ALL BUT ABSOLUTE.  AS YOU CAN SEE, EVEN AT BASELINE ALIGNMENT, THEY CANNOT RESIST A DIRECT ORDER FROM A PROJECT LEADER.  IT IS THEIR BIGGEST SELLING POINT.

            "Selling point?"

            THE INTEGRATED SHARD TRIO'S SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE FOR HIRE.

            "So that's what it's all about?  They're just hired out as mercenaries?"

            IT IS ONE OF THE FUNCTIONS THEY SERVE.  THEY ARE UTILIZED FOR MANY SERVICES THROUGH OPERATIONS SECTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD, AS WELL AS PRODUCTION OF CLASSIFIED WEAPONS AND OTHER ITEMS FROM THIS SECTION.  BOTH ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO SHARD ASSHOLE'S ABILITY TO CONTROL THEM.

            "So, it's not about world conquest, just making money?"

            INSUFFICIENT DATA.

            "Sorry, never mind."  Blake looked again at the screen, which had frozen on the image of Unum going through the door after Adam.  "So what, they just let themselves be clamped into those chairs?"

            THEY DO NOT, NOT EVEN IF THEY ARE FULLY ALIGNED.  ALL INTEGRATED PSIONICS FIND THE RESTRAINING CHAIRS TRAUMATIC AND RESIST BEING PLACED INTO THEM.  THEY ALWAYS REQUIRE BEING PHYSICALLY PUSHED.  IT IS THE ONE THING THEY CONTINUE TO REFUSE TO DO, CLIMB WILLINGLY INTO THE CHAIRS.

            "So that's where they are now?  Locked into those damned chairs with all the clamps while Unum wipes and then rewrites their minds?  That fucking piece of shit!"  Blake didn't turn around to read Hardwire's response, if there was one.  He allowed himself to have a temper tantrum, pounding and kicking on the door until most of his anger and frustration were spent.  Then he turned around, put his back to the door, and slid down it with his eyes closed.  He cradled his head in his hands and focused for a moment on taking deep, steady breaths.  Then his aquamarine eyes opened, going again to Hardwire.  "In case it's not clear, I'm not upset at you, buddy," he informed the cyborg.

            I AM GLAD TO HEAR IT, BUT I SUSPECTED AS MUCH.  YOU ARE A GOOD MAN, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON, KIND, DECENT, AND VERY SWEET.  YOU AND THE INTEGRATED PSIONICS ARE THE ONLY ONES HERE WHO SPEAK TO ME, HERE IN MY COLUMN, INSTEAD OF DIRECTING ALL YOUR REMARKS TO THE SCREEN.  IT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS A PERSON.  EVEN DATA LEADER MURRAY AND OPERATIONS LEADER ELTON DO NOT DO THAT.

            "Dr. Murray's your project leader, right?  So, she's your boss?"

            DATA LEADER MURRAY IS MY BIOLOGICAL MOTHER.  OPERATIONS LEADER ELTON IS HER EX-HUSBAND, MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER.  YOU DID NOT KNOW.

            The lack of a question mark indicated it wasn't a question.  The shock on Blake's face said it all.  Blake got up, moved quickly to Hardwire, and stopped before his column.  "How old are you?"

            I AM FOURTEEN YEARS OLD.

            _"Fourteen?_   Those fuckers locked a fourteen year old kid in a tank and wired you to a computer?"

            IF I HAD NOT BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS HERE, I WOULD HAVE DIED LONG AGO.  EVEN IF I SURVIVED, MY LIFE WOULD BE A LONELY, MEANINGLESS ONE.  I DO NOT REGRET MY CURRENT EXISTENCE.  SHARD SEVEN SHARES EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES WITH ME, WHICH LETS ME UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT NORMAL HUMAN EMOTIONS AND EXPERIENCES THAT I HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO UNDERSTAND.  THROUGH HIM, I UNDERSTAND SEX AND LOVE AS WELL.  SHARD SEVEN LOVES YOU, SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON.

            "I know, at least when he's not integrated.  Which he's about to be!"  Blake's shoulders slumped in despair.  "One showed me a memory, of the three of them locked in those damned chairs when Unum first integrated Adam.  The way they struggled…!  How long do they need to be tied up like that?"

            ON ARRIVAL, THE MEMBERS OF THE ALPHA SHARD TRIO WERE ONLY AT 80% ALIGNMENT WITH THEIR INTEGRATION, WHICH IS CONSIDERED BASELINE LOWEST POINT.  IT WILL NOT CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF TIME FATHER MUST SPEND DRAWING THEM BACK IN, WHICH IS TYPICALLY AROUND HALF AN HOUR.  BUT AFTER HIS WORK IS DONE, THEY MUST REMAIN FOR ANOTHER ONE TO TWO HOURS WHILE THEIR MINDS REALIGN AND THEIR INTEGRATION STABILIZES.

            "Why?" Blake wanted to know.  "That any different than what they do every night?"

            INSUFFICIENT DATA.

            "Then why keep them tied up?"

            For a long moment, the cursor only blinked.  It almost seemed as if the cyborg was somehow confused.  Blake suspected he was digging through some sort of massive databank, and a moment later he was proven correct when the words flashed on the screen again.

            CURRENT PROTOCOL IS THAT INTEGRATED PSIONICS ARE TO BE PLACED IN HEAVY RESTRAINTS FOR PROCESS OF REINTEGRATION AND ARE NOT TO BE RELEASED UNTIL THEY REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS, A PROCESS THAT TAKES APPROXIMATELY ONE AND A HALF TO TWO AND A HALF HOURS FROM START TO FINISH.  HOWEVER, NO DATA EXISTS TO INDICATE NEED FOR RESTRAINT BEYOND THE ACTUAL REINTEGRATION PROCESS.  ALL INTEGRATED PSIONIC SUBJECTS HAVE REMAINED IMMOBILE AND UNCONSCIOUS FOLLOWING ACTIVE REINTEGRATION.  OBSERVATION HAS BEEN MADE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THAT THEY HAVE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS WITH NO ONE IN ATTENDANCE AND HAD TO WAIT UNTIL SHARD ASSHOLE RETURNED TO RELEASE THEM.  CONCLUSION – THEY ARE LEFT RESTRAINED FOR THIS EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME BECAUSE SHARD ASSHOLE IS AN ASSHOLE.

            Blake snorted.  "Yeah, well, he can go to hell.  Hardwire, do you have cameras on them right now?  Any way I can see them?"

            YOU ARE SURE?  THEY ARE PRESENTLY STILL FINISHING UP THE PROCESS OF REINTEGRATION.

            "I'm sure."  Blake braced.  "I know it's going to upset me, but I need to see them, Hardwire.  Please?"

            The monitor immediately switched to a view of the room he'd seen when One had shown Blake Adam's memories.  There they were, Adam, Five, and One, all locked into the restraining chairs.  The eyes of all three glowed brightly, and all three appeared to be struggling.  The sound of their panting breaths was the only thing Blake could hear.  They strained with effort, and they seemed to be trying hard to look away, turning their heads only to have their gazes drawn back to Unum.  Unum stood before them with his back to the camera and his arms outstretched, as if he were trying to fold all three into a hug.  Blake's stomach churned.  "They always struggle like that?  That's why they have to strap them down?"

            ALWAYS.  WHEN REINTEGRATION IS IN PROCESS, THEIR MINDS ARE OVERWHELMED BY FATHER.  AT THAT POINT, THEY HAVE LITTLE CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN ACTIONS.  HEAVY RESTRAINT IS NECESSARY FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY AS WELL AS THEIR CONTAINMENT.  The words appeared at the bottom of the screen, almost like subtitles.

            Blake remembered Adam's memories, how he'd felt shunted aside in his own mind.  He shook his head.  "But Five said it wasn't too bad!  They look like they're in pain!"

            DATA INDICATES THE EXPERIENCE IS NOT PAINFUL PHYSICALLY, BUT THE ACT OF HAVING THEIR MINDS FORCEFULLY REALIGNED IS DISTINCTLY UNPLEASANT AND NECESSITATES RESTRAINT.  IT IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT ON INTEGRATED TELEPATHS, WHOSE MIND MUST ACCOMMODATE AND SORT THROUGH ALL THREE MEMORIES PRIOR TO CREATING THE SHARED INTEGRATED MEMORY.

            Blake's eyes rested on One.  The young man looked utterly exhausted, barely even struggling now.  As Blake watched, the telepath's glowing eyes closed and his head slowly fell back to rest against the chair.  The other two mirrored his actions, and now, it appeared as if all three were unconscious.  Unum lowered his arms, pressed a button that lowered a shield over the shards, and then moved to Adam.  He stroked the empath's cheek, leaned forward and placed a kiss on Adam's lips as Blake's fists clenched in anger.  Then he simply walked out.  Blake sputtered, his face flushed in fury.  "That son of a bitch!  They're unconscious, strapped down, and helpless!  How could he just walk out and leave them like that?"

            THEY ARE SAFE IN THEIR CURRENT LOCATION.  NOT EVEN I CAN

            The screen suddenly went dark, and the lights dimmed for a moment.

            UH OH.  BUSTED.

            "What do you mean?"

            The answer became clear a moment later when the door opened and Dr. Murray came in.  Her eyes widened when they fell on Blake.  "You're not authorized to be in an alpha level area!  How did you…  _Hardwire!_ "

            Loud rock music blared from the speakers.

            _"Stop reading me the riot act, while my brains are still intact!  You say it's raining but you're pissing down my back, so stop reading me the riot act!"_

            Murray rolled her eyes.  "I am so sorry that I let John introduce you to Skid Row!  Why did you allow Shelton into an area classified well above his current security level?"

            HELLO TO YOU, TOO, DATA LEADER MURRAY.  I LET HIM IN BECAUSE I WANTED TO MEET HIM.  AND IT WAS WORTH EVERY SECOND!

            "Hi," Blake called.  "Don't blame the poor kid, I'm the one who tried the door.  He just let me in because he's a fan."

            "I'm aware.  Believe me, I'm aware!  He hacked my credit card and brought every album you ever made, and I've heard them all."  Her glowing green eyes flicked appraisingly over Blake.  Apparently, she liked what she saw because a smile came to her lips.  She set her clipboard on one of the workstations and started towards him, her old fashioned shoes making clopping sounds that reminded Blake of a horse.  Her hips swayed as she walked, making the long lacy black dress swish.  She stood close, hungrily looking him up and down again.  "You're very handsome, even more in real life!"

            "Um, thanks?"  Blake felt uneasy.

            I MISS YOUR BLUE EYES.

            "You and me both, buddy."

            "Oh, I don't know," Murray mused, tapping a black gloved finger against her chin.  "These are pretty sexy.  So are those long legs!  I don't think I've ever seen longer legs on a man."

            Blake wasn't sure how to reply to that.  She took another step forward and was in his personal space now.  He took a step back.  She simply stepped forward again to compensate, reaching out a hand to run a finger down Blake's chest.  "We should get to know each other better," she was saying.  "Once you become Father, you're going to need someone to assist you.  Unum thinks he won't survive, but if he does, he'll want it to be him because he has the most understanding of Father, which is true.  John thinks it should be him, because he's best equipped to help you in the field, which is also true.  But consider what I can offer as Data Leader.  I do the experiments that make the tech you'll need.  I do the searches to find your psionics.  And I can offer you a few, shall we say, extra incentives?"

            Blake frowned, took another step back, and found he'd backed into one of the chairs at the workstations.  Still not used to the gravity, he stumbled, nearly fell, and landed in the chair.

            Murray immediately spun the chair to face her, rested her hands on the armrests, and leaned closer.  The deep V neck of her dress offered an interesting view.  "I have a beautiful mind and a beautiful body," she whispered.  "I'll share both with you!"

            Once more, loud rock music blared from the speakers, this time at a volume that made Blake yelp and clap his hands over his ears.

            _You're standing too close, what the fuck's with you?  You ain't my old lady and you ain't a tattoo!  No need to whimper, no need to shout, this party's over, so get the fuck out!_

            Then somehow, it was even louder.  **_GET THE FUCK OUT!_**

            "Hardwire!"  Murray had to stand up and scream to make herself heard.  "Enough!"

            Once more, the music stopped.  But the lights were flashing wildly, nearly strobing.  GET AWAY FROM HIM!  HE DOESN'T WANT YOU!

            "Oh, he's certainly not sure of himself, but he does find me attractive!"  Her lovely lips twisted into a seductive smile.  "I always did love a cowboy!"

            "I'm flattered, honey, but seriously, could you back up a bit?"

            LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU FUCKING COMESLUT!

            "Hey, that's enough!" Blake called sharply.  "Hardwire, I appreciate that you're trying to help me here, buddy, but this is your _mom_!  You don't call your own mother something like that, no matter what!  You got it?"

            The cursor blinked, somehow appearing sulky.  I AM SORRY.  BUT GET AWAY FROM SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON, DATA PROJECT LEADER MURRAY.  HE DOES NOT WANT YOU ANY MORE THAN SHARD FIVE DOES.

            "And yet, Five will be joining me in my chambers tonight!  I'm quite looking forward to seeing him again."  She smiled again at Blake, leaning in closer once more.  "You really are a southern gentleman, aren't you?  Defending the honor of a lady!  Why don't you join us?  I have no doubt that I'm woman enough for two cowboys.  I can give you a real warm welcome to LB1."

            "Nope, I don't think so!"  Blake took her upper arms and forcefully pushed her back, getting to his feet.

            He was completely unprepared to suddenly find himself in an empathic loop.  The woman's desire suddenly pounded at him, and he responded instantly.  He'd completely forgotten that Murray had taken on empathic traits from the shards, but now it was too late.  Desire burned in his veins as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.  He held on to her arms as the lights flashed frantically, certainly not pulling her closer, but somehow powerless to continue pushing her away.

            And then Adam's voice filled the room.

            _Now I can't walk, I can't talk anymore since you walked out the door and now I'm stuck, living out that night again.  I'm not falling apart!_

            Blake pulled his face away and looked at the screen.  Picture after picture of Adam was flashing across it now, culminating in a close-up of Adam still locked in the restraining chair, lying unconscious and helpless back in Shard section. 

            And that gave Blake the strength to push Murray away.  "Get off of me," he growled.  "And let me out!  I got something I need to do."

            Her eyes narrowed in anger.  "I'll be here when you change your mind.  I'm the best you'll ever have!"

            "The best I'll ever have needs me right now.  So open the damned door!"

            She made no move towards the door, but it beeped and slid open on its own.  Blake moved away from her, detouring slightly to approach the column and the cyborg floating inside.  He gently put his hand on the glass and smiled.  "Thanks, buddy.  I'll talk to you later."

            Once again, Whitney was in full voice.  The chorus of "I Will Always Love You" followed Blake as he left the room and made his way to Operations.

****

            Five minutes later, he was back in Shard section with Elton in tow.  Elton marched up to one of the locked doors and pounded on it.  "Unum!  Open up!  We're springing the brothers."

            The door slid open, revealing a confused-looking Unum.  "What do you mean, springing the brothers?"

            "I mean that they don't need to be locked in those chairs for hours while they finish integrating, that's what I mean.  Now come help us get them out."

            "Us?"  Unum's eyes moved to Blake.  "Bad idea.  He stays out here.  And if you want them so badly, get them yourself!"

            Elton waved dismissively at Unum.  "Fine, go back in your little room and keep masturbating.  I was just giving you some professional courtesy."

            Unum's face wrinkled in disgust.  "You're foul, Elton."

            "And you're a dick, but you don't hear me complaining.  Let me know if you need to borrow a razor for the hair on your palms, 'k, thanks, bye!"  Elton shut the door in Unum's face and turned to Blake.  "Boss, that's Five's room over there, and what you're looking for is inside.  I'll bring them in, and you can set them up, ok?"

            Blake knew exactly what Elton meant.  He went to the room and quickly found the beanbag stuffed into a closet.  By the time Elton returned carrying Five, Blake had it set up.  He positioned Five into the beanbag and then positioned Adam against his side, just as he'd seen them do back at the safehouse.  When One joined them as well, Blake was delighted to see all three shift, their arms reaching for each other even in the midst of their integration until they were back into their protective circle once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun absolutely loves Hardwire! Thinks Unum needs to fall out of an airlock. He still thinks Murray is scary and thought the way she came after Blake was super creepy, but he said it was good that Blake reprimanded Hardwire after what he said.


	36. Holding Out For A Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake enlists some assistance in his search for One's true name. Meanwhile, there's trouble when the brothers wake up, once again fully aligned with their integration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The poem Blake recites is “Endymion” by John Keats. 
> 
> Diegetic music again! I love it!
> 
> Song the brothers were dancing to is "Before I Forget" by Slipknot. One's playlist is almost as eclectic as my own!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2LU1yS7aw
> 
> "Holding Out For A Hero" - Bonnie Tyler  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GPZDX9_2oE

            Blake initially wanted to stay with the brothers, but Elton reminded him that it could be hours before they woke.  What no one needed to remind Blake of was the fact that they wouldn't be themselves when they woke.  They'd been reintegrated, and all the work Blake had done to bring them back closer to who they really were had just been undone.  After all he'd gone through recently, Blake knew, he simply wasn't ready to face that.

            In the end, he'd gone with Elton back to Operations section.  Unlike the other sections, most of the halls here contained what appeared to be rails recessed into the floor, When Blake had stared, puzzled, after a group of men who'd gone jogging past wearing harnesses attached to leads that went to the rails, Elton had explained.

            "The low gravity here naturally leads to a loss of muscle mass," he said.  "In my line of work, that's not acceptable.  So part of our physical training includes the use of those harnesses.  They link up with the rails, like you saw, using bungee cords that can be adjusted for tension.  You get a hell of a workout.  We also have similar systems in the gym.  The whole idea is to maintain muscle mass and endurance."

            Blake supposed that made sense.  He followed Elton into his private quarters and sat with him.  "You know what I don't get?" he complained.  "Why did this thing, whatever Shard is, mess with human DNA and then wait all this time only to want a pure human to jump into?  Seriously, why wait for me?  Before it messed around, it had a whole planet full of pure humans!"

            "You're missing a step," Elton explained.  "We're talking about something that doesn’t belong in the natural world, something completely alien.  The reason it started out messing with human DNA was because it needed something to feed off of."  Seeing Blake's expression, Elton shook his head.  "It's not like a vampire thing.  The Shard trios create a kind of energy, what you can sense now.  And that energy supports the entity.  It doesn't really hurt them to drain off of them a bit because that's what they're made for, after all, at least so far as the entity is concerned.  Most of the energy Father used before we integrated our first trio came from the shards themselves, but I suspect they're starting to wear out.  Anyway, the whole point is, altering human DNA created psionics that were then able to be integrated into Shard trios.  I imagine if the Company hadn't found the shards and started working with them, the entity would have jumped into someone sooner or later and started integrating on its own, just like Breaker did.  But we certainly gave it a hand.  Now it has at least one trio, and actually had two for a while, so its batteries, so to speak, are charged up.  So it's on to phase two, actually entering a pure human host so it can move around and get to work."

            "And what work would that be?  Making more trios, right?"  When Elton nodded, Blake sighed.  "Has anyone stopped to wonder what, exactly, it needs all this power for?"

            "I assure you, we have.  Like I said, we tried to ask it, but all it wanted was you.  When we started making progress on getting you, Father became a lot more cooperative.  But until it's actually in you, I don't imagine we're going to get much real information from it."

            "So, until it gets me, it won't tell you what it has planned," Blake clarified.  "And once it has me, if things go sour, it's going to be extremely difficult to stop it, isn't it?"

            "You got it, boss."

            "Are you sure this is a good idea?  Letting it have me, I mean?  I know I have a conflict of interest here, but this is a pretty damned risky plan!"

            "I'm aware, but I don't make the decisions.  Talk to the board."

            Blake didn't have anything to say to that.  Not wanting to think about it anymore, he started going over the files that Alicia and Miley had sent on Gareth Parland, inviting Elton and Hardwire to assist him.

            "It would help if I knew what the hell you were looking for?" Elton suggested politely.

            AGREED.  Hardwire had commandeered the main computer in Elton's quarters at Blake's request and had helpfully downloaded all the files.

            Blake trusted Elton just about as far he could throw the Project Leader, lighter gravity or not.  He counted Hardwire squarely in his "ally" column, but had no idea just how much the young cyborg could keep Dr. Murray from seeing.  Now that he knew none of the Project Leaders knew the secret of the brothers' true names, Blake intended to keep it that way.  Of course, that meant when the time came to actually use the names, Blake would have to find a way to get the three alone.  It also meant that he couldn't use Hardwire's help to its full extent.  But Blake needed to be satisfied with what he had.

            "It's like this," Blake said aloud.  "One believes that there's nothing left of the man he used to be.  I want to learn more about Gareth so I can prove him wrong."

            "You realize he isn't wrong?" Elton said patiently.  "One's been integrated a long time, and what Breaker didn't beat out of him, Unum bullied to death."

            "What is that all about?" Blake wanted to know.  "One freaks out and starts with this 'I'm not going anywhere' bullshit…"

            SHARD TRAITOR CONTROLLED SHARD ONE COMPLETELY.  ONE RECORDED INCIDENT AVAILABLE WHEREIN SHARD ONE LEFT SHARD TRAITOR'S SIDE WITHOUT PERMISSION.  EVIDENCE INDICATES SHARD ONE HAD ONLY GONE TO USE FACILITIES AND IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO SHARD TRAITOR.  BUT SHARD TRAITOR WAS LIVID THAT SHARD ONE HAD LEFT HIS SIDE WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION.  SHARD TRAITOR WAS OBSERVED STRIKING SHARD ONE SEVERAL TIMES, SCREAMING REPEATEDLY AT HIM THAT HE WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE, AND THEN LOCKING HIM WITH FIVE POINT HEAVY RESTRAINTS TO HIS BED.

            "Five point heavy restraints?  Do I want to know what those are?" Blake asked.

            "Son of a bitch chained him down," Elton explained, looking uncomfortable.  "Cuffs on his wrists and ankles, belt around his waist.  Poor kid couldn't even move, and Breaker kept him like that for a couple of days."

            "Why the hell didn't anyone help him?" Blake yelled.

            "Because when he brought One in and presented him to the board, he demanded and received full exclusive access to One," Elton explained.  "None of us was comfortable with that, because the kid was obviously a wreck, but Breaker wouldn't let anyone else near him.  Hardwire let us know what he'd done, but there wasn't anything any of us could do.  Even Unum had to just let it happen until Breaker calmed down enough to listen to reason."

            Blake ground his teeth.  "What the hell happened?  What'd he do to One?"

            SHARD ONE REMAINED RESTRAINED FOR TWO DAYS, RELEASED ONLY TO EAT AND UTILIZE FACILITIES.  DURING THIS TIME, SHARD ONE WAS OBSERVED STRUGGLING AND CALLING OUT FOR ASSISTANCE WHEN SHARD TRAITOR WAS NOT NEAR.  THIS WAS, IN FACT, THE FIRST RECORDED EVIDENCE THAT SHARD ONE WAS CAPABLE OF SPEECH.  BUT HE NEVER RESISTED SHARD TRAITOR, NOT EVEN WHEN BEING RETURNED TO HIS RESTRAINTS, SIMPLY BECAUSE SHARD TRAITOR INFORMED HIM FIRST THAT HE WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

            "I figured it was something like that," Blake growled.  "Miley said he flipped right out when she made a bad joke about tying him to a bed.  No wonder."

            "Bottom like, there's nothing left of that kid," Elton insisted.  "Shit like that destroyed him, boss.  Unum's able to completely control him because he studied the interactions Breaker had with him and knows what buttons to push.  One pretty much expects to be brutalized now, and honestly, he's the most cooperative of the three."

            "You mean the most broken."

            "To-may-to, to-mah-to.  For what it's worth, neither I nor Murray nor anyone else on the board actually agrees with how Unum controls One, but someone's got to."

            Blake looked at him.  "Explain that one?"

            "The Shard brothers are classified Contained Threat.  Unum is the 'Contained' portion of that because he can control One.  Control the telepath in a Shard trio…"

            "…And you control the entire trio."

            Elton smiled.  "You got it, boss!  Now that you've spent some quality time in the field with them, you get why the 'Threat' portion exists?"

            Blake grimaced.  "Yeah.  I don't agree with it, but I get it.  Adam, my Adam?  He couldn't have done half the shit I saw him do protecting me.  He wouldn't have had the heart for it.  But their integration gives them a separation from the rest of humanity, lets them think like that damned thing in the shards instead of the people they really are.  And that's the biggest difference between the humans they were and the integrated beings they became!"

            "Boss, I know it hurts, but at least you're starting to understand.  Besides, despite what Murray says, Seven's a damned good operative.  Took to combat training like a duck to water and learned fast.  He's got good instincts, good reflexes, good sense and enough imagination to be able to utilize his resources on the fly.  I'm pretty proud of him!"

            "We're off subject," Blake snapped.  Despite everything, he still couldn't reconcile his lovely Adam with the fierce Shard Seven he'd seen in the field.  "Let's go back to Gareth Parland.  Pull up those files, would you, Hardwire?"

            Hours later, Blake's brain hurt and he still didn't feel any closer to One's name.  Hardwire had helpfully reported when the brothers were up.  They'd certainly been delighted to find themselves in the beanbag rather than the restraint chairs and had celebrated a little with a wild dance.  Blake hadn't given much thought to the type of music the brothers listened to, but he hadn't expected Slipknot to pop up on One's playlist.  He'd stared stupidly at the screen when Hardwire had patched into the camera in Five's quarters, amazed at the sight of a ballet dancer slam dancing with a cowboy while a rock star hung upside-down off the bed and played air guitar to nu metal.  Then he'd laughed, shaken his head, and told Hardwire to give them their privacy.

            "They are happier when they're integrated," Elton pointed out.

            "They think they are."

            "Is there a difference?"

            "Damned right there is!" Blake snapped.  "Ok, let's go over those wedding plans for Gareth and Cecelia again.  I know there's something staring me right in the face and I'm just not seeing it!"

            An hour later, Blake found himself asking for and accepting Tylenol from Elton, wishing he had a beer to wash them down with and admitting to himself that the answer might just be beyond him.  "Hardwire, what's going on with the brothers now?"

            SHARD FIVE HAS JUST RETURNED FROM DATA SECTION WITH DATA LEADER MURRAY.  SHARD FIVE HAS REJOINED HIS BROTHERS IN THE MUSIC ROOM IN SHARD SECTION, WHILE DATA LEADER MURRAY IS IN CONFERENCE WITH SHARD ASSHOLE.

            "Shit," Elton sighed.  "Well, at least he got it over with."

            "What do you…?  Ah hell!  He didn't!" Blake groaned.

            "Melissa's been talking about little else besides her 'date' with Five tonight since she came to Earth with Unum," Elton explained.  "She was going to call for him first chance she got, no doubt."

            Blake pounded his fist on the table.  "Then that was the last time!  Never again!"

            "Amen, boss."

            DATA LEADER MURRAY SHOULD LEAVE SHARD FIVE ALONE.

            "Agreed, but seriously, Elton?  You and that scary goth lady used to be married, and Hardwire's your kid?" Blake asked.

            Elton's jaw twitched.  "Not something I like to talk about, boss.  Things were going south for me and Melissa before Hardwire was born, and afterwards it just spiraled downhill quicker is all.  We actually joined up with the company because they approached us about an alternative for our son, a chance at a better life for him that we obviously took.  Then we both hooked up with Shard, both got altered for better or worse, and now we're the stereotypical ex-husband and wife that can't stand each other but still have to work together and see each other damned near every day.  You can see how that works out.  The doc's done good for us, though, helped Hardwire when anything went wrong, kept him alive.  It's not easy, knowing your kid's never gonna have a normal life."

            "It's also not easy for that kid when his daddy doesn't even look at him," Blake pointed out.  "And your kid can hear you."

            "I know he can, can't you, punk?"

            OF COURSE I CAN, OPERATIONS LEADER ELTON.

            Blake considered.  "Far be it for me to tell another man how to raise his son, but you don't have to be so distant," he said carefully.  "You could have a lot more of a normal relationship than you let yourself.  Kid doesn't even call you 'dad.'  That's all I'm saying, backing off."

            "Appreciate it, boss.  All of it.  It's hard.  When I think about him, I think about all he'll never have, and I have a lot of guilt that I chose this life for him.  But I do love him.  He's my son."  Elton looked thoughtful.  "Hey punk, would you want that?  To call me dad?"

            For a long time, Hardwire didn't answer.  Then a large yellow smiley face appeared on the screen.

            Blake made a show of turning around in his chair to avoid seeing any reaction from Elton or anything on the screen.  He flipped through the print-outs Hardwire had provided and paused on the picture of Gareth and Cecelia's engagement.  "England's Heaven and the Spanish Angel," he said.  "What's that all about?"

            Elton cleared his throat.  "They got engaged the night that they performed for the Pope," he reported, his voice husky.  "That's what the Pope called them, after the performance."

            "And Gareth gave her the ring that night, one of the set he got from his gram?" Blake recalled, careful not to look at Elton.  "They wore them on their right hands until they married, when they planned to move them to the left.  And it seems like they stayed right there, on their right hands, all this time."  He frowned thoughtfully, turning back around.  "You know, that's the one thing they both kept from their old lives, those rings."

            SHARD ONE CONTINUES TO WEAR HIS.  IT IS CURRENTLY ON HIS FINGER.

            "Yeah, that's what I mean," Blake mused.  "These two were really in love.  And Unum said he thought that Breaker actually used her, some threat to her, to finally break One.  Of course, then the bastard broke and integrated her anyway, and we all know how that turned out."

            "Never did see that kid cry," Elton recalled.  "I would have bawled my eyes out, but not One.  He didn't even cry when we brought Three up here and he saw her in her padded cell for the first time.  I think he recognized her, but he just looked for a bit and then left.  Never said a word."

            INCORRECT.

            Both men looked up.  "What's that, Hardwire?"

            UPON REVIEW OF TAPES, SHARD ONE'S MOUTH IS OBSERVED MOVING.  CROSS REFERENCE WITH LIP READING SOFTWARE INDICATES HE SPOKE THE WORD "ANGEL."

            Blake stared at the screen.  Then he looked back at the picture.  And then he began to laugh.  "Son of a bitch," he said, shaking his head.  "Been at this for hours, and the whole time, it's the same damned thing as Five!"

            "Huh?"

            ELABORATION REQUESTED.

            "Never mind, I might be way off, but somehow, this feels right."  Blake sighed, gathered up the papers, and looked at Elton.  "Hey buddy, you up for a game of Texas Hold 'Em?"

            "What are we wagering?"

            Blake checked his pockets.  "I got change?"

            "Big spender!  I'm in!"

            Blake had already made great advances on increasing his supply of ready change when the lights suddenly began to flash.

            EMERGENCY!  EMERGENCY!  SUBJECT BLAKE SHELTON REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO SHARD SECTION!

            Blake and Elton immediately jumped up, alarmed.  "What's wrong, Hardwire?" Elton called, reaching for a weapon.

            FORGET WEAPONS, JUST RUN!

            The speakers began to blare Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero" as the two men raced out of Elton's quarters.

            It quickly became apparent that Hardwire had plugged into every speaker they passed in the halls of LB1.  Every one was blaring the song.  Overhead, the lights were alternating on and off, a moving trail overhead marking the shortest path, urging the two to run faster.  Barely accustomed to walking on LB1, Blake had a time running.  Elton was a big help, but Blake was still moving far slower than he would have liked.  Fortunately, Hardwire was also opening every door well ahead of them reaching it, meaning they didn't have to slow their progress long enough to use the scanners.  The two ran on, ignoring the confusion and shouted questions and at last reached Shard section.

            The cause for Hardwire's alarm was apparent the moment they entered the main room.

            Five and One stood together, wearing identical black suits with rose boutonnieres.  They were smiling as they watched Adam, Unum, and Dr. Murray.  Dr. Murray was dressed as she always was, still in her old-fashioned black dress and black lacy stockings.  But she held a set of official papers on a clipboard that already bore Unum's signature.  Adam and Unum were dressed in identical white suits.  They held hands as Adam reached for the pen Murray offered.

            _"STOP!"_ Blake bellowed.

            Everyone froze, surprised, startled eyes moving to Blake.  Unum's face twisted into a grimace.  "Brother…"

            "Don't you fucking 'brother' me!" Blake snarled.  He stormed in, his eyes fixed on Adam, but Five quickly stepped forward to bar his path.

            "Blake?" he said quietly.  "I get it, alright?  But Unum's dying, and this is his last wish, and it's what my brother wants.  It doesn't mean he doesn't want to be with you, or marry you, buddy."

            "He's right, Blake."  Adam's face was weary as he looked at Blake.  "I should have talked about it with you first, but we all knew exactly how you'd react.  Please don't ruin this for Unum?"

            "Ruin it for Unum?" Elton exclaimed.  "Unum, you asshole!  And Melissa, what the fuck?"

            "Oh John, don't criticize me," she sneered.  "While you were busy sucking Shelton's dick, trying to ingratiate yourself to the new boss, I was busy helping fulfill the final wish of a dying man.  Good luck sleeping tonight, you heartless bastard!"

            "Enough!"  Unum was rubbing his temples.  "This is a day I have waited for, and I would prefer it not be ruined any more than it already is!"

            "Oh, Unum!"  Adam immediately pulled Unum into his arms.  He frowned, the hazel eyes dark with disapproval as he looked at Blake.  "Let us talk to Blake for a bit, alright?  I knew I should have talked to him first!"

            "Will you come and chat with me, mate?" One offered.  "I'd be happy to discuss this, like reasonable men."

            "Yes, please, talk to Blake!" Blake encouraged.  "All three of you!  Let's talk this over, and then if it's want you still want, this bullshit wedding can pick up right where it left off."

            "Oi," One sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  "That isn't a promising start, but let's do try to keep this civilized.  Let's go to my quarters."  He looked anxious, his gray eyes straying to Unum.  "Is that alright?"

            "Yes, of course it is," Unum grumbled.  "Deal with this, my One, and if he wants to talk to all three of you, so be it.  I've waited this long to marry my Seven.  I can wait a few minutes more.  If the three of you honestly believe that you can soothe things for my brother, help him understand, then please try!"  Blake noted he actually managed to look hopeful.

            "What do you want me to do, boss?" Elton called, eyeing Blake.

            "Come stand outside the door," Blake ordered, moving with the brothers towards the room One indicated.  "And don't let anyone in, no matter what!"

            Unum stiffened, and Murray frowned.  "Mr. Shelton?" Murray called.  "I really don't think…"

            Blake ignored her, storming in after the brothers and shutting the door.  Once inside, he moved towards Adam, his hand out.  But One quickly stepped in front of Adam, and a set of impossibly strong hands took Blake's arms, lifted him completely off of his feet, and sat him gently on the bed.  "Blake?" Five said, his hands still on Blake's arms.  "I hate to do this, because I love you to death.  But you're not touching my brother right now, ok?"

            "Adam?" Blake called.

            Adam had backed up to the doorway and was hunched in it.  He looked down, refusing to meet Blake's eyes.  "That isn't my name, Blake," he called.  "Please try to remember that!"

            "Understand how difficult this is for him!" One urged.  He stood next to Five, helping bar Blake's access to Adam, his eyes pleading for understanding.  "Part of Seven loves you and always will.  But he also loves Unum, and Unum has months, at best.  Our big brother wishes to spend what time he has left married to the man he loves."

            "He doesn't love Unum!" Blake exclaimed, exasperated.  "It's his empathy!"

            "We are very much aware!" One assured.  "But that doesn't change facts.  He's Shard Seven, not Adam Levine, and as much as we know it pains you, it may be time to face that."

            "Blake, it kills me to ask you this," Adam said.  His face had gone pale, and his voice shook.  "But you're about to become Father.  When that happens, my empathy and my memories of Levine will both lead me to love you.  I'll be yours then, completely and totally yours!  All Unum is asking is a few months until then.  It's not too much!  Let him have me, just for a little while!  Please, please be the better man, Blake!"

            "The better man."  Blake's mouth twisted into a grimace.  "Five, take your hands off of me, please?"

            Five let him go, but stayed close.  "I can't let you grab him, Blake."

            "I won't.  It's you I need first."

            Five blinked.  "Huh?  Me?  You've lost me, buddy, what are you talking about?"

            "Heaven and hell," Blake declared.  "You called yourself 'heaven' because Breaker put you through hell, and you gave yourself a name.  Your name is Nevaeh!"

            Everything that had happened in the past week had made it seem as if months had passed, rather than the few days that had actually gone by.  Blake wasn't sure at all if Nevaeh would respond again to his name, if Dr. Matt Mellon had regained the strength to again be pulled out of his integration, especially not after he'd just been reintegrated.  So when Adam and One screamed and clutched their heads, it was music to Blake's ears.

            Outside, Elton pounded on the door.  "You ok, boss?"

            "Just keep everyone out, Elton, we're fine!" Blake yelled.  He'd gotten up and approached One, praying he was right as he dug into his pocket.

            He took One's hand and placed the ruby ring he'd retrieved from Elton back at the safehouse in the telepath's palm.  "These were the only things you both kept," he said as One blinked at it in confusion.  "Your name is Gareth Parland, but you don't even respond to that name anymore.  I'm betting you won't respond to the name of Cecelia Serrano, either, even though she was once the center of your world.  Did Breaker break you by threatening her, Gareth?  I'm betting he did."  _I hope to hell I'm right!_   "I'm betting that she was the last thing you thought of when he integrated you," he continued.  "And it was probably the same with her!  You thought of Cecelia, your Spanish Angel, and even though you couldn't have known it, you ended up picking the same damned name as Five.  The name your Angel called you, Heaven.  That's what she called you, right?  Only she would have said it in Spanish, her native language!  Lucky for us all, I still remember some of my high school Spanish.  Your name is Cielo!"

            It wasn't much more than a shot in the dark, a barely-educated guess Blake had made based on bits and pieces he'd managed to put together to solve an unsolvable puzzle.  If it hadn't worked, Blake would have been forced to rely on Nevaeh's help to stop Adam's wedding because he wouldn't, couldn't, leave One alone and break his promise.  But Adam shrieked like Blake had never heard before, falling to his knees, and then collapsing onto the carpet.

            Cielo's glowing eyes were wide.  He jerked, stumbled backwards, and would have fallen if Nevaeh hadn't caught him.  "It's ok," Nevaeh soothed.  "Fight it, stay with me, brother!  Blake, hurry, he can't last!"

            "Right!"  Blake dropped to his knees and gathered Adam up.  "It's alright," he soothed.

            "It's not alright!  You took my brothers away!"

            "You can do this, baby, you're strong!  You're so damned strong!  No one could break you, not even Breaker after seven days of torture!  And you never gave up on me.  Even after all the shit I said to you in Oklahoma, you never gave up!  That's what got you through everything that Breaker threw at you, and even being integrated!  You're my beautiful, unwilting, unfading flower.  My Amaranth!"

            He went still in Blake's arms.  Blake looked up and saw that the frantic glow in the eyes of the other two was gone and breathed a sigh of relief.  In his arms, the man he loved was trembling.  Blake smiled, held him tight, kissed the side of his head.  "The spirit culls unfaded Amaranth when wild it strays, through the old garden ground of boyish days," he recited.  "I missed you so much!"

            "B-Blake?"

            "Yes, baby, it's me."  Blake got up, pulled him to his feet, and stood him with his brothers.  The three stood together, Nevaeh, Cielo, and Amaranth.  And for the first time, all three looked back at Blake through human eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jackatlas1996, you made a bunch of guesses in a row there, but I'll still give you the **GOLD STAR** for guessing that it was Three's ring Blake asked Elton for. And I'll give you a **SILVER STAR** for guessing that the whole "unwilting" thing had something to do with Adam's true name!
> 
> This chapter made Mr. Fun cry, but they were happy tears.


	37. The Human League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers' human elements are back in control, but Gareth is every bit as broken as they'd feared. Can they still stand with Blake against Unum?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Diegetic music here:
> 
> "Take This Job And Shove It" - Johnny Paycheck  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhWhy2VGaY8
> 
> "To Where You Are" - Josh Groban  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8CWGq8e3Bo

            Cielo wouldn't speak, no matter how Blake and the brothers urged him.  His eyes were wide and everywhere, flicking around the room, resting on the faces of the others, or staring at the ruby ring he still held in his hand.  He looked frightened and lost.  But he didn't say a word.

            "He's here," Amaranth reported.  "He's terrified, but he's here."  He took the younger man's shoulders, and the grey eyes immediately locked onto his face.  "Hey,” he said softly.  “Do you know who I am, baby brother?"

            No response.  Cielo trembled, blinking as he stared at his brother.

            "Let him be for now," Nevaeh suggested.  "He's been under for a long, long time and he was only a teenager when it started.  He may need some time to adjust."

            “I guess so.”  Amaranth hugged Cielo tightly, kissing the side of his head.  Cielo studied his face for a moment.  Then he went back to staring at the ring.

            "You're sure he's not getting pulled back in?" Blake asked anxiously.

           "Yeah, I'm sure,” Nevaeh said.  “Because I don't feel a pull at all.  I'm out, I'm really out, and nothing's trying to drag me back in!"  Nevaeh took a deep breath and let it out in a happy laugh, sounding almost like a young boy.  "I wish I could even begin to thank you, Blake!  To not be pushed down, to not have something else that isn't even human in control of me, not even having anything trying to drag me back?  This is…"

            "It's wonderful."  Amaranth's hazel eyes were shining as they fixed on Blake.  "You did it, Blake, you got me out!  You got us all out!"

            "For how long, though?" Blake pointed out.

            "Doesn't matter," Nevaeh insisted.  "What matters is we're out now, and you obviously know how to pull us back out if we do get dragged back in.  Now we need to figure out what to do, because the Project Leaders are right outside, and one of them is expecting my brother to come back out and sign a paper to marry him!"

            "Like hell he will!" Blake snarled.  "Give me something hard and solid to bash his head in with.  But first, we need to figure out what to call you three, because I can't risk letting them know what your true names are."

            "What's wrong with Gareth, Matt, and Adam?"

            Blake smiled at Adam.  "That would be ideal!"

            "I know I'd like it," Matt declared.  "And it helps, reminds me of who I really am.”  He hesitated, for the first time looking uncertain.  “I feel pretty, well, incomplete, I guess is the word.  Feels like there's big pieces of me missing, like I'm not all here."

            “Yeah, me too,” Adam confessed.  “I feel like a piece of swiss cheese.  But I’ve only been under for a year.  I can’t imagine what you guys are going through.”  His eyes moved to Gareth, who was staring at the wall now.  "I’m worried, guys.  Our baby brother, something’s really wrong!”

            "He'll come back," Blake insisted.  "You guys said that a memory can never be truly erased, right?  We'll help him, and he'll come back!"

            "We said a telepath can't completely erase a memory," Adam pointed out.  His face was serious.  "Integration is a bit more severe, Blake.  Telepathy can rewrite a mental hard drive, but integration's more like brain surgery.  It feels like I’m skirting around these potholes in my mind, and if I’m not careful, I’ll fall in.  And if I fall in…”  His eyes moved again to Gareth.  Then his face set.  “We don't have time to worry about it.  I'm going out there."

            "I'm coming with you," Matt vowed.

            "What about Gareth?" Blake asked.

            All eyes went to Gareth.  Gareth was hugging himself, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other, his eyes troubled and staring at nothing.

            "Keep him with you, Blake," Adam ordered.  "And stay out of this one, ok?  I know you want a piece of Unum, but this is my fight."

            "It's our fight," Matt corrected.  "But you start it, brother.  I've got your back."

            Adam hugged him.  “You always did.  Let’s go.”

            Blake put his arm around Gareth's shoulders.  The telepath looked up at him, his expression solemn, seeming to understand that something significant was about to happen.

            Adam started out with Matt close behind him and Blake trailing behind.  Elton's entire face was a question mark.  Blake gave him a wink as they passed, waving for the man to come along.

            Unum and Murray were frowning when the group approached.  "They're very angry," Murray reported.  "I guess the talk didn't go so well?"

            "It doesn't matter," Unum declared.  "This wedding will happen, my brother, and there isn't anything you can do to stop it."

            "Oh, I think someone else has something to say about that," Blake called.  "Or didn't you get to the part about if anyone can give reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace?"

            Unum blinked at Adam in surprise.  "My Seven, you have something you wish to say?"

            Adam smiled.  "I do!"  And then he hauled off and punched Unum with all his strength.

            Blake had never felt more proud of Adam than he did now, as Unum flew backwards to land in a shocked sprawl on the floor.  In the stunned silence that followed, Adam moved menacingly towards him.  "You lied to me," he snarled.  "You told me I'd still have a choice if I came in, and instead you forced me into that fucking chair and you integrated me!  I told you to leave me alone, and instead you started a relationship that I couldn't have consented to!  And then I told you I'd promised to marry Blake, and you reintegrated me, and then took advantage of me yet again to try to make me marry you!  You even made my brothers agree with the marriage and stand against Blake to try to make it happen!  Damn you, Unum, what have you done to me?  You took me away, you kept me prisoner, you made me a slave, you took advantage of me, and every time, every fucking time I tried to break through, you threw me back into that chair and integrated me again!"

            “My Seven, what is wrong with you?”

            “I’m not Seven, you bastard!  You’re a telepath, take a good fucking look!”

            Unum gaped, looking wide-eyed up at Adam.  "Levine?  That's impossible!"

            "It almost was!" Adam roared.  "You tried to kill me, you son of a bitch!  You told me that after we consummated our marriage tonight, tomorrow you and my brother and Uno would work with Dr. Murray to, as you put it, ‘Get rid of Levine once and for all.’  You were going to try to destroy me, to eliminate all trace of who I really was from my mind!  And I was so fucking trapped in my integration that I thought it was a great idea!  I would have willingly gone along with it, let you kill me!"

            Unum got to his feet.  "My Seven, you are not yourself."

            "You're wrong!” Adam challenged.  “For the first time since you integrated me, I _am_ myself!"

            "We all are," Matt called.  He was standing just behind Adam, his arms crossed over his chest, glowering at Unum.  "We're all here, Unum, Adam and me and even Gareth!  And guess what, boss?  We quit!"

            The sound of Johnny Paycheck blared over the intercom, Hardwire enthusiastically lending his support to the brothers.  _“Take this job and shove it!  I ain’t workin’ here no more!”_

            Adam laughed.  "Damned right!" he agreed.  "We're done!  We're going home, and you're never ever touching any of us ever again!"

            Murray laughed.  "And how, exactly, are you going to get home?” she asked.  “Are you jumping out the window?  You can't even get out of your own section!"

            "Then let us go!"  Adam's face was flushed.  "Don't you get it, you're not controlling us anymore!"

            "On the contrary!"  Unum had managed to reclaim his dignity.  He stood stiff and proud, glaring up at Adam.  "Levine, do you understand exactly where it is that you are?  Do you remember the failsafes in place, especially in this section, for precisely this sort of emergency?"

            And now Adam faltered, his eyes shifting.  "Just let us go, Unum!  We're out, leave us alone!"

            "It will be difficult to reintegrate you so soon, only a few hours after the last time," Unum sighed.  "But it can be done.  Very well.  My One, come here."

            He reached for Gareth.  Gareth gave a small cry and cringed, clinging to Blake.  Red faced and furious, Blake quickly wrapped him protectively in his arms.  If Unum came after Gareth, Blake was spoiling for a fight.

            But Matt was there first, his face a mask of hate.  "Like hell!  You are never fucking touching him again!”  Before Unum could react he'd punched the Shard Leader square in the abdomen with all of his enhanced chi strength.  Unum flew backwards and hit the wall to slide down it, gasping for breath.

            "Activate emergency containment field authorization Murray!" Murray yelled.

            "Override authorization Elton!" Elton yelled as the green field dropped and the brothers gasped.  "Deactivate all psionic suppressant measures!"

            "Override authorization Unum!" Unum bellowed as the field vanished.  But the only response was the sound of Styx playing “Renegade.”  Lights flashed in time to the music.

            Elton laughed.  "Hardwire gets it, don’t you punk?  See, the moment Melissa activated an emergency protocol, Operations was automatically granted top priority," he explained to Blake.  "It's because we're the guys who get the job done when there's an emergency.  That means for the duration of the emergency, everything defaults to the Operations Project Leader.  Oh wait, that would be me!  Melissa dear, thank you!  You just made me top dog of LB1!  How about that job now, boss?”

            "You're hired, Elton," Blake declared.

            Elton beamed.

            "John, you bastard!" Murray shrieked.

            "Gotta be able to sleep tonight, Melissa," Elton retorted.  "And you better believe, I'll sleep like a baby!"

            She glared at him, her eyes blazing.  Elton stiffened.  Then his own eyes began to blaze.  "Oh, bring it on, baby!" he called.  "You just bring it to daddy!"

            "Get up, Unum," Matt called.  He gestured.  "This has been coming for one hell of a long time!  You may be strong, but I know for a fact that you're not stronger than me!"

            "Oh.  Really?"  Unum's eyes blazed, and both Adam and Matt cried out, clutching their heads.

            Blake stiffened.  He looked at Gareth, but the young telepath only looked up at him, terror in his eyes.  Cursing, Blake ran forward, grabbed one of Elton's ever-present pistols off the Operations Leader’s belt, aimed at Unum and fired.

           The bullet stopped inches from Unum's head.  "So, it's war between us then, is it, my brother?" Unum snarled.

            "Damned straight!”

            “Come on, Unum, you son of a bitch!  Let’s dance!”  Freed during Unum's distraction, Matt had picked up a chair.  Now he hurled it with all his enhanced strength at Unum.

            Like the bullet, it came to a stop before it struck the Shard Leader.  Unum gestured, and Blake found himself shoved by an invisible force that slammed him hard against the far wall.  He looked and saw Adam and Matt on the wall with him.  Too late, Blake realized he’d made a mistake when he’d let go of Gareth to grab for Elton’s weapon.  Now Unum had the terrified, struggling telepath by the arm.  "Enough of this!" Unum ordered.  "Stand down!  I’ll reintegrate the three of you, and we’ll forget this whole thing ever happened.”

            "Go fuck yourself!"  Adam's eyes blazed, and suddenly Unum's face paled.  His body shook with fear.  The Shard Leader cried out, released Gareth and curled into a ball.  Blake and the brothers dropped to the ground. 

            Gareth plowed into Blake, nearly knocking him over, and clung, shaking.  Blake immediately embraced him.  "Knock it off, Unum!" Blake yelled.  "Just let them go!"

            "Damn you, my brother!  How did you do it?" Unum yelled back.  "How did you bring them out, put the humans in control when they're still integrated and still in full access of all their powers?  It isn't possible!"

            "I'm smarter than I look," Blake shot back.  "And you're looking a little piqued, Unum, while Adam and Matt here still look like they're full of piss and wind!  I'm feeling pretty psyched myself, _brother,_ so if you want to keep going, well, I got all night!"

            Unum looked around.  His eyes fell on Elton and Murray and grew wide.  The former married couple had moved into a corner.  Murray's leggings were on the floor.  Her arms clutched at Elton's shoulders and hair, and her skirt was hitched up, displaying a great deal of her legs as they wrapped tightly around Elton’s waist. He held her up, propping her against the wall in the corner while his hips steadily thrust.  Seeming to feel the attention on them, Elton looked sheepishly back.  "Er, sorry, boss," Elton called.  "We always did have great make-up sex.  But I'll get you for this, Levine!"

            "Yeah, I did that," Adam admitted.  "She always was more powerful than he was, but we couldn't deal with Unum and her too, and there was one thing that always distracted her."  He gave Unum a predatory grin.  "You want to keep going, Unum?  Like Blake said, I got all night!  But you’re scared, motherfucker.  You’re scared shitless of us!"

            Unum shook with fear.  He backed away, almost falling in his haste to get away from them.  "Damn you, Levine!" he snarled.  "Fine!  You've won this round.  But I won’t forget this!  You've taken my Seven away, and I will see you pay for it!"  Like a child having a temper tantrum, Unum stormed into his room and shut the door.

            "Elton, get a room, please?" Matt groaned.

            "Just a little more…  Oh, Melissa!"

            "Shut up and fuck me, John!"

            Matt groaned again and shot Adam a look.  "Brother, I will never unsee that!"

            "Better him than you, right?" Adam offered.

            "How about we at least get Gareth out of here?" Blake suggested.  He still held Gareth, who seemed better now that Unum had gone.

            "Yeah," Adam agreed.  His eyes were still glowing.  "I'm trying to help him, but there's a lot of emotion there."

            Blake frowned at Gareth, who was still clinging to him like a small child.  He certainly looked calmer.  "What's he feeling?"

            "Grief, mostly."

            Blake straightened.  "Let him go, Adam."

            Adam blinked.  "Huh?"

            "Let him go.  Let's get him someplace quiet, and then let him go.  Let him feel that, Adam.  It's the last thing Gareth Parland felt, and he needs to get through it before he can start to come back."

****

            The music room was the most amazing thing Blake had ever seen.  The walls and ceiling were all made of thick, transparent material, providing an unobstructed view of the lunar landscape, the stars, and the setting orb of the Earth.

            In the middle of this celestial glory, Gareth sat at the piano.  He'd removed his ring and placed it and Cecelia's on the music stand on the keyboard.  Now he simply stared at them.  Blake hadn't known what to expect when Adam released the young man’s emotions, but he certainly hadn't anticipated this silent contemplation.  On and on he sat, staring at the rings while the constellations continued their eternal dance above him.

            "He's not pulling away," Matt reported.  He kept his voice low so Gareth wouldn’t hear.  "If I work on it, I can get in his head a little bit because we're still integrated.  Can't tell what he's thinking, but I know he's still here with us.  Whatever's left of him.  Adam, if you and I feel like swiss cheese…?"

            "He's in there," Adam insisted.  "His emotions are too strong for just an empty shell!  Blake's right, he's there.  He's just buried deep."

            Blake paced in a small circle, never taking his eyes off of Gareth.  "All I want to do is just hold him until he lets himself cry!  He still grieving?"

            Adam nodded.  "Yeah.  It’s all he’s doing, honestly.  I don't know what to do, Blake!  My instinct is to damp it down, but you might be right.  He may just need to feel it."

            "We're pretty much in uncharted territory right now," Blake sighed.  "Honestly, we need to treat this like we would if we didn't have an empath and just let him go through it."

            Matt and Adam exchanged a look.  “What?” Blake demanded.

            “I’m just worried, is all,” Matt said.  “We were both in a real bad place before they brought Adam in for us.  If he goes back there…?”

            "Blake, he's hurting bad," Adam warned.  "If he decides he doesn't want to go on, that he'd rather join her…?"

            Blake had been trying not to think about that.  But a single note sounded from the piano, and all three froze, looking back at Gareth.

            Gareth stayed as he was, almost seeming disconnected from his finger on the keyboard.  He played the note again, followed by another.  Then he sounded a chord.  Again, he paused, letting the chord fade out.  Then his left hand came up, playing another chord, harmonizing with what he'd just played.  His hands were moving over the keyboard, playing a song that seemed to reflect the terrible grief he was feeling.

            And then he began to sing.

_"Who can say for certain, maybe you're still here?  I feel you all around me, your memory's so clear.  Deep in the stillness I can hear you speak.  You're still an inspiration, can it be?  That you are my forever love and you are watching over me from up above?_

_"Fly me up to where you are beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight to see you smile, if only for a while, to know you're there.  A breath away’s not far to where you are."_

            Gareth's voice was just as rich and full as it had ever been, filling the room effortlessly.  Adam made a small sound and started forward, but Blake grabbed his arm and shook his head.  Next to them, Matt rubbed fiercely at his eyes.

_"Are you gently sleeping here inside my dream?  And isn't faith believing all power can't be seen?  As my heart holds you just one beat away I cherish all you gave me every day.  'Cause you are my forever love watching me from up above.  And I believe that angels breathe and that love will live on and never leave!"_

_"Fly me up to where you are beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight to see you smile, if only for a while to know you're there.  A breath away’s not far to where you are."_

_"I know you're there.  A breath away's not far to where you are."_

            The music stopped, and no one moved or spoke.  Then, moving with none of his usual dancer's grace, Gareth rose, turned, and walked back towards the group.  He went straight up to Blake and reached out his hand, placing it flat against Blake's chest.

            Blake covered it with his own.  "Hey, buddy.  You trying to tell me something?"

            No response.  The grey eyes were solemn, seeming far older than the young man who looked out through them.

            "If you are, I think I got it," Blake continued.  "I won't let Adam get away from me.  I'll marry him, right here if I have to, and I will never let him go.  And I won't let anyone or anything take him away."

            And now Gareth nodded.  "Shhh- She's g-gone long t-t-time," he managed.  "J-just never… s-say goodbye."  He looked down at the rings he clutched in his other hand.  "B-b-better.  C-can let her go."  Taking his hand from Blake's chest, he took both rings in his right hand, putting his left on the tracer bracelet on his wrist.  There was a flash of light between his fingers, and the rings were gone.

            Blake looked up into the starry sky, almost as if he could see the rings floating endlessly through space.  Of course, there was nothing.  But Gareth's hand was on Blake's chest again, and once again, Blake covered it with his own.  "You're in bad shape, aren't you, buddy?"  Blake smiled gently down at him.  "What do you want to do?"

            "I-in…"  Gareth winced, seemed to draw strength.  "Integrate!"

            The three men drew back in horror.  "Gareth, no!" Blake exclaimed.  "Not that!"

            "Please!"  The word came out as a strangled cry.  "C-c-can't.  Broken!"

            "Come on, baby brother!"  Adam took Gareth's shoulders, turned him towards him, and gave him a shake.  "I know you’re hurting, but you don't need that.  You can do this on your own!  You don't need to go back into your integration!"

            "He's right," Matt agreed, reaching to squeeze Gareth's arm.  "Don't give up, Gareth!"

            "Not!"  Gareth shook his head.  He reached out his hands, resting them on the cheeks of his brothers.  "Broken.  We're b-broken.  Integrate!"  Again, his face contorted, grimacing with effort.  "T-t-trust…  Trust me!"

            Adam and Matt exchanged a long look that Blake did not like at all.  "You cannot be serious!" he exclaimed.  "You can't be thinking of integrating, not now, when you're all three out!"

            "He's our telepath, Blake," Matt said quietly.  "And he's asking us to trust him.  We've got to.  He's right, we're broken!  There are huge chunks of me that are just missing, and he's the only one who has any chance at fixing that!"

            "He's asking you to trust him, but he's barely coherent!" Blake argued.  "You still trust him?"

            "I do trust him, Blake," Adam stressed.  "It's like you said, he's in bad shape.  But he's got something in mind.  We need to let him try it."

            Blake swore a blue streak.  "That sounds like your integration talking!"

            Gareth turned, his movements still jerky as he reached for Blake, cradling the larger man's head in his hands.  "Trust," he urged.  "Please!"

            Everything in Blake wanted to argue.  But something in the grey eyes as Gareth looked up at him stilled his tongue.  He sighed.  "I want to be there.  And you bastards better wake me up when it's done, if for no other reason than so I can kick all three of your asses!  You know it'll be days before I can pull you back out if you go in, right?"

            "Yeah," Adam sighed.  "But we gotta let him try, Blake."

            Blake threw up his hands.  Without a word, he followed the three back to Matt's quarters. 

            Fortunately, the main room was empty.  Elton and Murray had gone, and Unum was apparently still sulking in his quarters.  Blake frowned at the door while the brothers got into their beanbag.  "Is there a way to lock this?"

            "Yeah, but only to lock us in," Matt retorted.  "If Unum wants to do that, not much we can do about it."

            "To hell with Unum."  Blake got the chair from Matt's desk and sat it before the door.  Then he returned to the desk and rummaged around, producing a pair of scissors.  Scissors in hand, Blake eased himself into the chair and got comfortable.  "Pleasant dreams, guys," he called as the three settled into their beanbag.  "Please still be you in the morning, huh?"

            Three sets of worried eyes looked at him.  Then all three began to glow.  And a moment later, they closed.

            They were integrating, their minds joining together once more.

            Blake watched them for some time before he finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

****

            "Morning, sleeping beauty!"

            Blake blinked the sleep out of his eyes to see the face of a grinning idiot inches from his own.  "Matt?"

            "Yup!  New and improved!"  Matt hauled Blake unceremoniously to his feet.

            "Matt?  It's really you?"  Blake looked around, seeing the smiling faces of Adam and Gareth, and focused on Gareth.  "Gareth?  How you feeling, buddy?"

            "I'm pleased to report that I'm doing quite well," Gareth declared.  "Terribly sorry for the fright I must have given you, but I did warn you, there wasn't much left of me.  I needed to go back into our We memory, retrieve as much as I could, and essentially rebuild myself and my brothers from that.  It wasn't easy," he confessed.  "I've got a frightful headache.  But I think you're pleased with the results."

            "No more holes!" Adam whooped.  "He really did it, Blake.  You both did it!  We're out, we're whole, and even though we're still integrated, it's the human part of us that's in control!"

            Blake breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank God!  Now what?"

            Gareth's face grew crafty.  "Now, we contact the board and ask for a hearing," he declared.  "I do believe it's time we got to work on getting off of LB1!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun very much enjoyed it when Elton dropped the shields! Got emotional at the end.


	38. Unum Always Gets What He Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam learns the terrible price of standing against Unum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very tough chapter ahead, mind the tags.

            “You remember that night we had that bottle of absinthe and we were so drunk we pissed in your swimming pool?”

            “How could I forget?  I had to have the pool drained and cleaned because we puked in it, too!”

            “Who’s ‘we?’  I seem to recall your scrawny ass hurling into that pool, Rockstar, but I acquainted myself with your roses.”

            “Oh yeah, that’s right.  That’s why the gardener quit.”  He shifted on his narrow bed, pressing against Blake’s side, his hand rubbing gently on Blake’s chest.  “We were both sicker than dogs, and we swore that we’d never ever touch that shit again.  And then that night…”

            “…We finished the bottle,” they both said in unison.  They laughed.

            Blake turned onto his side to face him.  As always, the sight of the aquamarine eyes drove a lance of guilt into Adam’s heart.  But Blake hadn't changed.  Once Blake had been certain Gareth was alright, he’d walked over to Adam and simply scooped him up.  Adam had forgotten everything else.  Oblivious to the snickering of his brothers, he’d barely managed to guide Blake to his own quarters.  Most of their clothing was off before they’d reached Adam’s bed, and Adam couldn’t be happier.  He’d been thrilled to discover that the fumbling uncertainty Blake had shown the first time they’d made love was gone now.  Blake obviously couldn’t wait to get inside of him.  Adam had let Blake take the lead this time, content with the knowledge that he had this effect on his lover, that Blake was trembling as he pulled their clothes off and voicing little moans of pleasure just running his hands over Adam’s body.  “Adam,” he’d whispered.  “My Adam!”

            And Adam had assured him that yes, he was always and forever his, even as the alien presence inside of him pulled back, yearning for Unum.  But Adam was in control now, and the man before him was all he wanted.  He’d clung to Blake, giving him all he had to give until Blake finally cried out and fell against him, spent.

            Blake, it seemed, was trying to reassure himself that Adam was really here and had filled their post-coital pillow talk with reminiscing.  But now he looked serious.  “Do you remember when Matt dropped that field on you?  The things I said to you?”

            “I remember everything, Blake,” Adam said quietly.  “I was always there.  It’s like I was behind this pane of glass, watching but not able to control anything.  But that wasn’t the worst of it.  I was thinking thoughts that weren’t my own.  And that’s the biggest reason I tried to fight you that night.  I loved you just as much then that I ever did, but you didn’t understand.”

            Blake nuzzled behind his ear.  “I didn’t care.”

            Adam shivered, but refused to be distracted.  “You’re an idiot.  You should have cared, and you still should!  We’d get missions, and I’d get a gold ticket.  So I’d make the kill, sign off the ticket, and move on.  And I never even stopped to consider that I’d just taken a human life, someone who maybe had people who loved him, depended on him, would miss him!  Even though I’m an empath, that level of empathy was completely alien to me.  Because _I_ was alien, Blake.  I considered the people I killed as something other than human because _I_ was other than human, and the part of me that was in control didn’t care because it recognized that!  I couldn’t even shoot a rabbit before I was integrated, but afterwards, I took those lives with no more concern than if I was squashing a bug.  That isn’t me, Blake!”

            “You don’t think I know that?”  Blake’s face was full of concern.  He tightened his arms around Adam.  “That’s why I fought so hard, tried everything I could to reach you.  Because I knew it wasn’t you!”

            “But as long as my integration was in control, that _was_ me.  That’s what I wanted to shield you from, Blake.  And the horror of it is that it’s still there!”

            “I know that too, baby.  That’s why I wanted this, wanted you.”

            Adam closed his eyes and leaned back against Blake.  “You’re too good to me.”

            “I could never be too good to you.  And now you’re back, you’re really my Adam, and all I want is for you to stay.  Is this helping?” Blake asked.  “Helping you remember, to stay you?”

            Adam nodded.  “Yeah, it is.  The more I’m with you, remembering who I was, the stronger I become.  And you were right, you know.  That really was me, at our base camp and again at the safe house, that first time.  It made everything worth it, even getting dragged back down under again, just to touch you for a little while.”

            Adam felt Blake’s fingers intertwine with his own.  “You can touch me forever."

            “Please don’t let me get reintegrated again?” Adam pleaded.  “I know it’s selfish as hell, I mean, what could you really do to stop it?  But I can’t take it, Blake!  I can’t be pulled back in, not again!  I just can’t stand it anymore!”  He was shaking, his breath coming fast, on the brink of a panic attack.  “Please, don’t let them reintegrate me!  I can’t…”

            Blake silenced him with a deep kiss, and Adam immediately stilled.  “I will do whatever I have to do to keep it from happening,” he vowed.  “I missed you, so damned much!  And I meant what I told Gareth, Adam.  I’m never letting you go again.  In fact, Elton can marry us, right?”

            Adam blinked, and then chuckled, relaxing once more.  “Sure, if the Company gives you permission.  But seeing as how they gave that permission to Unum, it might be a bit hard to get them to change their minds.”

            “Don’t care.  Do I talk to Hardwire about it?”

            Adam smiled, his heart overflowing.  “That sounds like a good place to start.  Blake?”

            “Hmm?”

            “I love you.”

            “I love you, too.”  Even though they’d been altered from their natural color, Adam could see Blake’s gentle soul shining through his eyes.  He looked at Adam now like Adam was the best thing he’d ever seen.  And Adam knew he’d meant every word he’d said.  Blake would fight for him.  Blake would never let him go, would never let the Company take him away and integrate him again.  Not Blake.  The gentle man had the heart of a lion.

            “I fell for you the day I saw you,” Adam blurted.  “Sitting there in that chair, your legs crossed with your crazy cowboy boots dropping bits of mud on the floor?  The first time you smiled at me with those dimples, dammit, Shelton, why do you have to be so gorgeous?”

            Blake laughed softly.  “You’re the gorgeous one,” he said softly.  “Sexiest man alive.”

            “I think they made a mistake there,” Adam told him.  “I think maybe the wrong one of us got that title.”

            And now Blake was looking at him again, and no words needed spoken.  The love shining in his eyes told Adam all he needed to know.

****

            Adam and Blake had been roused by the smell of food.  They’d gone out to find a cooking contest underway.  Matt’s ranch house special was being pitted against Gareth’s full English breakfast, with a great deal of smack talking.  Elton, tapped to serve as judge, was watching and listening with a smile.  Adam and Blake were quickly tapped as judges as well.  Adam tried everything, conferred with his fellow judges, and then declared Matt the winner.

            “Conspiracy!” Gareth yelled as Matt did a victory dance.  “It’s a Yankee conspiracy, I say!”

            “La-la-la-la-loooooooser!” Matt sang, holding his index finger and thumb up to his forehead in an L.  Gareth gave him a dirty look.

            Adam was too busy stuffing his face to pay attention.  “You guys are both great cooks,” he complimented.  “See, this is why I always said you should just take turns doing the cooking when we were in the field.”

            “You never could boil water without burning it,” Gareth confessed.  “And yet, you always seem to eat more than anyone else.”

            “Where, exactly, do you put it all?” Blake asked, amazed as Adam once again filled his plate.

            “I suspect he’s got hollow legs,” Matt guessed, sitting down to his own heaping plate of food.

            “Come on, you guys know I never sit still!” Adam said.  “Constant motion requires lots of energy.”  He grimaced, his senses picking up a familiar sensation.  “And now I just lost my appetite.  Here comes Unum.”

            “Uh oh, something wicked this way comes!” Elton called as Unum entered the room.

            Adam didn't need to be an empath to recognize that the Shard Leader had expected to find that Adam and his brothers had lapsed back into their integration.  But he was quick to recognize that the humans were still in control.  He shook his head, baffled.  "This isn't possible!" he protested.  "Tell me how it was done!"

            "It was done because someone actually took into consideration that they were still in there!" Blake retorted.  He shook a piece of toast threateningly at Unum.  "That's what you get for just assuming they'd go meekly into slavery and be content with fading away.  People are stronger than you know, especially these guys!"

            Adam shivered as anger rolled off of Unum like a wave.  “Elton, you’re scheduled for 1100 hours,” Unum said, not looking at the Operations Leader.

            “I got the e-mail.  Now shut up and eat something.”

            Now Unum met his eyes.  “Elton, I don’t know what’s become of you.  You were always loyal to the Company and believed in our work!  You even personally trained our operatives.  Because of that, you can claim just as much credit for Shard’s success as I.  So I don’t understand why you’re turning your back on it now.”

            “I never said I was turning my back on Shard,” Elton retorted.  “I’m just not following you anymore, Unum.  I’ve chosen my side in your little power play, and from now on, I’m a Shelton man.  I’m willing to face the consequences of my decision.  Now are you going to sit down and eat, or just keep trying to ruin everyone’s appetite?”

            Unum shook his head in disgust.  Then his eyes fixed on Gareth.  "My One," he called, moving towards him, "we're going to talk."

            "Whoa, hold it!" Matt exclaimed, jumping up.

            "It's fine," Gareth called.  He wiped at his mouth and looked at Unum.  "What would you like to talk about?"

            "We'll talk privately."

            "We'll have a proper chat right here, mate."

            The anger increased.  "My One, you _will_ come with me!"

            Gareth's grey eyes were hard as steel.  "I'll not let you drag me off, Unum!  We'll do this here with the lads, or we'll not do it at all!"

            Unum's fists clenched.  "You're not going anywhere!  You _will_ obey me, my One!"

            As always, Adam sensed the cold, sick feeling of fear as Unum once again triggered the telepath's lingering trauma.  It was the one thing that had always cowed him into submission.  Gareth's eyes went wide and he shuddered, the color draining from his face.  Adam braced, ready to jump in and saw Matt doing the same.  But in the back of his mind, he knew that if Gareth gave in, if he backed down now, all three of them would once again lose the will to fight.  Blake seemed to understand that too.  His eyes had narrowed, and his hand closed around his fork.  Adam focused, tamping down Gareth’s fear, and saw his youngest brother’s shoulders relax.  He looked at Adam, gratitude in his eyes.  Adam smiled.

            But the steel returned to Gareth's eyes as he glared at Unum.  "You are correct," he said, his accent cut glass as he spat the words.  "I'm not going anywhere.  Because you are not taking me anywhere!  If you want a chat, we’ll have it right here.  But I’ll not let you drag me off and intimidate me into obeying you.  Those days have passed!  So if there was nothing else, I’d like to suggest you bugger off.  As you can see, we are trying to have a proper breakfast.  Cheers!"

            Cold fury at being denied.  Unum’s hands came up, and for a moment, Adam thought Unum would try to physically drag Gareth away.  If that happened, Adam vowed, he'd fight the Shard Leader with everything he had, and he knew Matt and Blake would do the same.  Matt's eyes were already blazing, ready to start swinging, and Blake had risen from his chair, his handsome face twisted into a determined scowl.  Elton remained seated, but his face was set as he leaned forward, watching for the Shard Leader’s move. 

            But Unum paused.  His eyes moved, looking the group over.  For a long moment, they rested on Adam.  Then he nodded curtly.  "So be it."  Then he'd turned on his heel and stormed back into his quarters.

            The tension dissipated from the room almost immediately.  "We're going to have to watch him," Matt announced.  "We may be back in the driver's seat, but we're still integrated.  That means if he gets his hands on Gareth…"

            "If he regains control of me, he can put all three of us back on our leash," Gareth sighed.  "I'm well aware.  I did wonder what would happen when he tried."

            "You're a damned strong man, Gareth," Blake complimented.  His eyes were shining as he smiled at the younger man.  "You came through four years of this hell, and you're only going to be stronger for it.  Whatever the board decides to throw at you, I know you can handle it!"

            Gareth beamed like the sun, basking under Blake's praise.  Adam chuckled.  It was obvious that Gareth was looking to Blake as a kind of father figure from no other reason than the way he lit up every time Blake paid him a compliment.  But Blake had that effect on people.  His young contestants had all looked up to him in this same way, and those closer to his own age, like Matt, inevitably ended up loving him like a brother.  Matt, Adam knew, would gladly give up his right arm for Blake.

            But now Blake’s attention was focused on Elton.  “Hey buddy, you want to tell us what’s going on?  What’s happening at 11?”

            “I’ve been put on report,” Elton explained.  “When I stood with you against Unum and Murray, the fact is that I broke every protocol ever written about containing our enhanced psionic operatives.  Now I gotta stand and face the music.”

            No one liked the sound of that.  “What’s going to happen?” Blake demanded.

            “Worst case, I’ll get fired and end up under lock and key myself as a research subject.”  Elton’s voice was surprisingly calm, but Adam could sense the fear the Operations Leader kept hidden.  “If they lock me up, I guess I’ll finally get caught up on my sleep.  But that’s kind of where I’m counting on you, Big Kahuna.  I can’t do my job from a holding cell.  So do me a favor and make a fuss about getting me out quick, ok?”

            Blake radiated guilt.  “You really stuck your neck out for me, and now you’re gonna get burned for it!”

            “Don’t worry about me.  I’ll be fine.  But I should probably take this to go.”  He rose, picking up his meal, and tossed everyone a jaunty salute.  “Gentlemen, thank you for a lovely breakfast.  If you wouldn’t mind bringing me some goodies in my cell, I’d certainly appreciate it!”  And with that, Elton walked away.

            “Well shit,” Matt grumbled.  “I guess I should have known he’d get in trouble for helping us, but that sucks ass, man.”

            “Elton’s tough,” Adam said.  “He’ll be alright.  And we can add letting him out as one of our presentation points for the board, right?”

            “You’re damned right!” Blake declared.  “I’m not leaving him behind, you can bet on that.”

            And then those eyes, aquamarine now but still those of the man he loved, turned to Adam, and Adam lost the ability to think.  The love in Blake's eyes combined with what he could sense felt like a warm ray of sun on a cold winter's day, and for a moment, everything was right.  Adam was back in control, and he was surrounded by his brothers and the man he loved.  For the first time since he'd been integrated, Adam felt genuinely happy.  Against all odds, Blake had gotten them out.  Somehow, Blake would save them all.  Blake was so strong, and he’d already accomplished the impossible. 

            They'd spent the rest of the morning in Gareth's quarters, working out their proposal.  They'd already had Hardwire contact the board of the Company, asking for a hearing.  At present, they hadn't heard a response.  But they were all hopeful.

            "We were the alpha Shard trio," Matt pointed out.  "Currently, we're the only Shard trio!  They might nod politely and then tell Unum to reintegrate us, but first they've got to hear us out."

            "Precisely," Gareth agreed.  "We should start with the reasons why they should negotiate with us.  First, the control of the integration isn't absolute.  That should have been obvious by the way Adam kept falling out of alignment!  Now that we're free of it, we have absolute proof."

            "Should we tell them I can pull you back out if they do reintegrate you?" Blake asked.

            "Shouldn't have to," Adam said.  "It should be obvious that if you did it once, you can do it again!"

            "It's a board of directors," Matt pointed out.

            "Righto!"  Gareth said, typing.  "Including that in our list of points.”  He typed quickly, and then pinched the bridge of his nose.  “I’m rubbish at this.  We need Uno.”

            Adam’s mood instantly soured.  “Fuck Uno!  So he was a hotshot lawyer, big deal.”

            “Uno was a lawyer?” Blake asked.  “Well, some things make a lot more sense now.  Can we get him out here to help us?  This is for him, too.”

            “Uno’s not in any shape to help us,” Matt said quietly.

            Adam looked up, sensing Matt’s sadness.  “Dos is pretty bad, huh?”

            Matt nodded.  “Gareth and I were going to try to pick both of their brains, see if we can’t pull them out with their names, but they’re barely hanging on.  Dos is willing herself to die, and neither one of them will say a word.”

            “There may not be much we can do for Dos,” Gareth began, “but perhaps if you helped Uno, brother, he could…”

           “How the fuck could you even ask that?” Adam exploded.  “He set you up to get shot just so he could steal me!  Because of him, I nearly lost my brothers and Blake got turned over to Terra!  He hurt the three people that I care about the most, and the next time I see the son of a bitch, I’m going to knock him right out an airlock!”

            “Adam?”  Blake took his shoulders, his face serious.  “I can’t begin to know how you feel.  But if Uno was a lawyer, then he’s got skills we need right now.  We’re all trapped here, and if we lose Elton, well, I tried the door and wasn’t surprised that my access has been revoked.  We can’t even get out of this section.  We’re pinned in a corner here, baby.  And we are going to need all the help we can get.”

            “What if he tries to take me again?”

            “That will not be possible,” Gareth declared.  “You have nothing to fear from Uno, Adam, because I will not let you go, and I’ve already established that I am more than a match for him.  I'm sorry, brother, but I’m afraid I must ask that you at least consider this, helping him so he can help us.  In the end, he’s just as trapped, if not more, than we are.”

            “Baby, I’m asking you to try,” Blake urged.

            Adam sighed.  “Alright.  I’ll try it.”

            A chime sounded, indicating the arrival of an e-mail.  Gareth looked, saw it was from the board, and quickly read it.  He sagged in disappointment.  "They won't give us our hearing," he announced.  "They won't listen to us!"

            "How the hell can they refuse to listen to us?" Matt exclaimed.  "They can't control us anymore!  That means we just hit Threat classification, right?  So I don't get how they can refuse to hear us out, if for no other reason than to try to find a way to get us back to Contained Threat status!"

            "Unless they still think they can control you," Blake pointed out.  "We’re all still trapped here, after all.  And who knows what Unum told them."  He kicked the bedpost.  "Dammit!  Ok, this is a setback, but it's not the end.  As long as you guys can stay out, they can't keep ignoring this.  The fact that you're out is going to speak volumes.”  He brightened.  “Especially if you refuse missions!"

            "Ooo, great idea!  Let’s go on strike!” Matt growled.  “We're going to refuse everything, and I mean everything!  Missions, testing, experimentation, production, all of it!  I'm not making another ounce of silly putty until they listen to us, dammit!"

            Adam grinned.  “Blake, you’re not as dumb as…”

            Blake clamped his hand over Adam’s mouth. “So, as of right now, everyone’s on strike,” he called, somehow managing to ignore the way Adam was licking at the hand over his mouth.  “And that’s how it stays until those rich bastards on the Company board bleed so much money they’ve got to hear us out or risk their stock dropping.  Nothing scares a businessman more than the idea of losing money!”

            "You said it, mate."  Gareth rubbed at his eyes and saved the file he was working on.  "Don't know about you, but I could do with a kip."

            "Kip?" Blake asked, finally letting Adam’s mouth go and grimacing as he wiped his palm on his jeans.

            "A nap, Blake," Adam explained.  "Honestly, I could use one, too.  For some reason, I'm beat."

            “Probably all that exercise you two got this morning,” Matt called, grinning.  “But to be fair, I’m tired, too.  My brain hurts from all this plotting and planning.”

            A quick survey revealed that everyone was looking for a nap.  Adam joined his brothers in the beanbag while Blake kicked off his boots and stretched out on top of Gareth's bed.  And a short time later, they were all sound asleep.

****

            In some part of his mind, Adam sensed the intrusion, the presence of someone in the room.  Someone angry.  Someone determined.  But he couldn't respond to it.  He couldn't react as footsteps moved towards the bed, not even when the familiar presence of Blake began to move away.  And when the intruder returned and Adam dimly registered arms slipping under him, felt himself carried, there wasn't anything he could do about that, either.

****

            When Adam awoke, his surroundings were so familiar that at first he didn't respond.  He was in Unum's quarters, lying in the plush king size bed with Unum at his side, resting in Unum's arms.  For a moment, he simply lay as he was, letting the odd fog in his brain dissipate slowly.  But then his mind finally registered the sheer, horrible _wrongness_ of where he was, and he jerked awake, frantically scrambling to get free of Unum and climb out of the bed.  “What the fuck?  Let go!”

            "Calm down," Unum advised, pulling Adam back.  "There isn't anywhere you can go."

            "Let go of me!" Adam snarled, clawing at the arms around him.  "What the hell are you doing?"

            "Don't bother trying to use your empathy on me, my Seven," Unum sighed, not letting go.  "It will be at least another hour before you're capable of affecting me."

            Adam stilled, suddenly realizing that he could sense nothing at all in Unum.  "Murray," he guessed.  "One of the empathic blockers she made me develop with her?  You gave it to me?"

            "She's certainly useful, isn't she?  I just wish the board hadn't shut down her aphrodisiac project.  I certainly could have used that now!"  He leaned in, smelling Adam's hair.  "I miss my sweet, responsive Seven.  You always did enjoy the pleasure I could provide you!"

            "Stop it!  Let me go!"  The Shard Leader's enhanced strength made it impossible for him to free himself, and without his powers, Adam could do little to fight.  He writhed and kicked, clawing at Unum's arms and trying with all his strength to pull them away, loosen them enough that he could squirm free.  But Unum only tightened his arms around Adam, pulling him close and nuzzling at his neck. 

            Adam thrashed.  "Get off of me, Unum!  What are you going to do, huh?  Force yourself on me like Breaker did?"

            "Don't be ridiculous."

            "Then let me go!"

            "I think we're good like this for now."  Unum kissed him behind his ear, ignoring the way Adam snarled and struggled.  "Do you remember how many mornings we spent like this, my Seven?  You and I, just lying here together?  Do you remember how I always made you feel safe?"

            "Fucking let go of me!  Unum, you’re losing it!  It’s not just your body that’s falling apart, it’s your mind, too!  You’re turning into every bit as much of a psychopath as Breaker!"

            "Oh, my beautiful empath," Unum sighed.  "What has Levine done to you?  This morning should have been our first day as a married couple.  It wasn't supposed to be like this!"

            "Let me go, dammit!" Adam roared.  "I don't want you touching me, Unum!  I never did!  Leave me alone!"

            He heard Unum take a quick breath.  The arms tightened painfully around him, Unum's enhanced strength making Adam gasp and wince.  But then Unum finally let him go, and Adam was up like a shot.  He ran towards the door, pounded on it.  "Let me out!"

            Unum sighed and sat up, rubbing wearily at his eyes.  "I told you there wasn't anywhere to go."

            "Let me out, Unum!"

            "No."

            Adam turned to face him.  It was a relief to see that they were both fully clothed.  Waking up in bed with Unum had been bad enough.  If he'd been naked, Adam thought he might have flipped completely out.  But he couldn't get his mind around what Unum wanted.  "You knew I wasn't going to come back to you," he said aloud.  "What are you doing, Unum?  Why'd you take me?  Keeping me locked in here isn't going to change anything!"  He gasped, realizing something.  "You son of a bitch, that's why we all felt tired!  After the emergency was declared over, Elton’s lock on the psionic controls was gone.  You gassed us, didn't you?"

            "Nice of you all to stay in one room," Unum called, getting up.  He moved towards Adam. 

            Adam cringed, but had nowhere to go.  He pressed back against the door, seething with anger as Unum reached for him.  "Don't touch me!  What the hell do you want?"

            "Isn't it obvious?  I want Shard Seven!" Unum exclaimed.  "I want my fiancée back!"

            "You really are a psycho!  He never existed, Unum!  It was my integration, just this thing you forced onto me like a leash around my neck to control me, pushing me down and taking control of me with full access to my memories while I couldn't do anything but watch!  It was horrible, Unum, and I kept fighting, but you kept forcing me right back into it!"  He frowned.  "Is that the plan?  You're going to integrate me again, force us all right back into the cages in our heads?"

            "Oh, absolutely!"  Unum was in his personal space, a hand on either side of him as the Project Leader leaned forward, crowding Adam as he pressed against the door.  "The three of you are far too valuable to simply write off, no matter what you thought you could say to the board.  It was never going to happen!  We controlled you before, and we'll control you again.  It's actually good that this happened here, where we could still contain you.  That means we can address the situation and be prepared for anything similar happening again.  And in the meantime?”  He leaned closer, lips inches from Adam’s ear as he spoke.  “You and I can take all the time we need to work things out between us.”

            Adam had turned his face away and stilled, pressing himself back against the door as if he could somehow sink into it.  His mind raced, trying to come up with some plan, some way out of this.  But it was hard to think with Unum so close, trapping him against the door and flooding his mind with his rising panic.  "Get away from me, Unum!  Leave me alone!"

            "Now, I'd hoped you would all lapse back, but that doesn't seem to be happening," Unum continued, ignoring this.  "If anything, you're stronger today than you were last night, Levine.  This is going to require some study.  None of us knew this was possible.  And I saw you, your eyes glowing this morning.  You’re the reason my One resisted!  You always were the virus in the machine, Levine, constantly revolting, wanting to contact Shelton, wanting more freedom for your brothers, on and on and on!  You were the only flaw in my otherwise perfect empath.  It’s high time you were permanently removed!"

            Adam fought back his terror at being reintegrated and laughed.  "Go ahead!  Take me to that chair right now and reintegrate me.  Knock yourself out!  You can lock me back inside my integration, but it won’t last.  We've got the key to those cages now, Unum.  You can push me back in for a while, but I'll just come right back out again!"

            "Is that so?  And are you going to claim that you don’t still feel something for me?  Because we both know that’s a lie."  Unum crowded Adam more, nuzzling again into his neck.

            Adam's panic immediately returned, washing out his attempt at bravado.  "Stop!  Get _off_ of me!" Adam roared, shoving hard at him.  He ducked down, managed to slip under Unum's arm and backed quickly into the room, holding out his hand to ward Unum off.  "Keep away from me, Unum!  Shard Seven may have wanted you due to my empathy, but he’s not in charge now.  I am, and I chose Blake!  I’m not coming back to you, not now and not ever!  Now if you're going to reintegrate me, let's get it over with already.  Otherwise, leave me alone and let me out of here!"

            Unum calmly turned, casually walking closer as Adam retreated back into the room.  "That key to the cage, as you call it," he said.  "I saw that file you four were working on.  It's Shelton, isn't it?  Somehow, he's able to pull you out."

            Adam lifted his chin defiantly.  "That's right!  And he can do it anytime, anywhere, Unum.  It's a waste of time to reintegrate us now!  Just let us go!"

            "Shelton.  I should have known."  Unum shook his head, still closing on Adam, who had backed into a wardrobe.  "The two biggest thorns in my side.  Shelton and Levine, Levine and Shelton!  I knew you were a fighter, Levine, so I suppose I should have known he'd be one, too.  And you never fight harder than when it's for each other, do you?"

            "Damned right!"  Adam dodged to the side, trying to dart around Unum.

            Unum caught him, grabbing Adam's arms and shoving him forcefully back against the wardrobe.  Adam yelped, and Unum immediately pressed against him.  "Shelton's your whole life, isn't he?  The center of your whole universe, in the place that is rightfully mine!  But he’s not here right now.  I am."

            Adam fought furiously.  "Fucking get off of me!"

            "Oh, that mouth of yours!"  He clamped a hand over Adam's mouth and used it to hold him still, wrapping his other arm around Adam as he pressed him against the wardrobe.  He nuzzled again at the empath's neck, kissing his way up to his face, ignoring the hands that shoved or the legs that frantically kicked, releasing Adam's mouth to catch his chin and hold his head still for a kiss.

            As soon as Unum pulled back, Adam completely lost it.  He swung and kicked for all he was worth, trying desperately to get away.  "Off me, get off of me, leave me alone!  I'll fucking kill you, Unum, let me out of here!"

            "Shhh!"  Unum clamped his hand over Adam's mouth again.  "Would you like to know where Shelton is right now?"  When Adam immediately stilled, he smiled.  "My brother has an obligation to fulfill.  Every family has one freeloader, doesn't it?  One member who just doesn't pull his weight!  And there he was, all handsome and dimples and aw shucks, watching the rest of us hard at work while he barely changed.  All this time, he's been annoyingly, persistently human!  We can't have that, now, can we?"

            Adam cried out against the hand over his mouth, clawed at it and twisted his head until Unum finally let him talk.  "What have you done?"

            "Not much," Unum replied casually.  "I just thought it might be a good idea to let him get to know his half of the entity a little better, is all.  So I took him into the Shard room, made some adjustments on one of the chairs…"

            "No!  _No!_ "  Adam abruptly threw his arms around Unum's neck and kissed him.  "Please," he begged, kissing him again.  "Please, I'll do anything you want, just get him out of there, Unum!"

            "Well!  This is much better!"  Unum drew Adam close for a deep kiss.  Adam couldn't help but shudder even as he kissed him back.  "See, this is more like it, isn't it?  You know I can keep you happy, my Seven, keep you pleased.  I've always given you anything, haven't I?  I've been good to you."

            "Yes, you have, Unum," Adam agreed.  He clung to Unum.  "Now give me this!  Let Blake out of there, ok?  Just let him go, and I'll be yours.  I'll be Shard Seven again, I'll do whatever you want!"

            "Of course, you won't really be my Seven, not until I integrate you."

            Adam grimaced.  "You don't have to do that, Unum!  I'll stay with you, make you happy.  You know I will!"

            "And my One and my Five?"

            "Let them go."

            "That will leave us without a Shard trio," Unum pointed out.  "And you're our only empath.  Unless, of course, I integrate you with my Uno and my Dos?"

            Adam's face was devoid of color.  But he nodded.  "Alright.  Integrate me with Uno and Dos, but let Blake take my brothers and leave!"

            "Now this is really amazing," Unum marveled, kissing him again.  "You fight and rail against your integration.  But for Shelton, you'll sell your own soul!"

            Adam didn't reply.

            Unum reached up his hands, stroked his face.  "Oh, my beautiful empath!  What a prize you've offered me!  But I'm afraid I must regretfully decline."

            Adam's eyes went wide.  _"What?"_

            "I don't need to bargain to get what is already mine," Unum explained.  "And you are _mine_ , my empath!"  His hands closed tightly on Adam's wrists, pinning the empath back against the wardrobe and pressing in to whisper into his ear.  "You have always been mine, and you always will be mine!  But it seems I must share you with my brother.  So be it.  When he becomes Duo, well, our goals will finally align, won't they?"

            "Please!" Adam pleaded.  "Please, Unum, not him.  Not Blake!"

            Unum kissed him again.  "He won't be Blake for much longer."  He let go of Adam and headed for the door.  "I'm going to go check on him now, and let your brothers know.  Why don't you make yourself comfortable?  I don't expect you'll be going anywhere for a while.  Oh, and Levine?  Do try not to break too much during your inevitable temper tantrum.  It's a huge pain to get furniture up here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To say this was a rough chapter to write would be a gross understatement. The updates have been sporadic because I had a bit of a time getting this part edited. Mr. Fun never read my first fic, so this was his first taste of dub-con, and I managed to trigger us both. It actually ended up leading to a long overdue chat about the real life shadow from my past that I wrote my first fanfic as a bit of therapy to attempt to exorcise. So in the end, fanfic made our marriage a little stronger. Who knew?


	39. Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unum introduces his brother

            He had no idea what he'd been drinking, but it felt like he was on the worst drunk ever.  His head was lost in a fog.  He couldn't move.  It felt like he was somehow confined, held in place by hard rods.  When he opened his eyes, the world had an odd green tint.  It made his stomach churn, so he closed his eyes again.

            "Brother?"

            He opened his eyes, saw his brother standing before him.  Unum's glowing eyes widened, a pleased smile spread across his face.  "I see it's done."

            He tried to sag, but wasn't able to.  Something still held him in place.  He looked down, saw the clamps holding him into a full body restraining chair that was somehow familiar.  "Lemme go!"

            "Of course."

            Unum did something to the controls around the side of the chair, and the clamps released.  He promptly fell out of the chair and would have collapsed if Unum hadn't caught him.  Unum sat on the floor and gently cradled him in his lap.

            He felt like there wasn’t an ounce of strength in his long limbs.  His head pounded, and he whimpered.  "Shh, it's alright," Unum soothed, holding him close and rocking him gently.  "I know it's hard.  It's been a long time, but I remember.”  He smiled at him and playfully mussed his hair.  “You did very well!  How do you feel?"

            He sagged, leaning against the smaller man.  "Tired.  Head hurts!"

            "Your body has just undergone a massive change, and quite ahead of schedule," Unum explained.  "It would have been far easier if we could have waited a few days, let the shards continue to work on you.  But recent events have necessitated a hastening of our timetable."

            He couldn't remember when he'd ever felt so bone weary, so utterly and completely exhausted.  His eyes slipped closed again, and a soft snore escaped his lips.

            "Now now, can't go to sleep just yet!" Unum laughed.  "Murray, how are his readings?"

            "Erratic, but he's stabilizing."  Murray's voice was jarring, and he frowned, opening his eyes again.  "You being there seems to be helping."

            "He needs stable Shard presence,” Unum declared.  “That, I can provide.”

            "Fine.  I'm heading back."

            "Of course."  Unum waited, giving her time to leave.  Then he leaned towards him, looking like he was about to impart some great secret.  "She's useful, but she isn't one of us, my brother.  She’s not even one of our trios.  Not much more than enhanced monkey, really.  You'll learn the difference in time.”

            His eyes were slipping closed again.  Unum held him close and planted a kiss on his forehead.  “That’s it, my brother.  Get your strength back.”

            Unum.  He was so familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.  And the familiar was completely alien, while the unfamiliar felt like home.  His brother was a perfect paradox.  But Unum completed him.  With Unum, he was whole.

            So why was he shaking?  What was this terrible fear that kept bubbling up in the back of his mind?

            Unum was doing something now.  He’d reached out his hand towards the vessel and was activating it, drawing the last of the failing energy from it.  The way his brother held him, he was facing the vessel.  He could feel it, the flow of the energy.  Unum was passing the lion’s share to him.  Immediately, strength returned to his body, and with it came a dull, throbbing pain.  “Hurts!”

            “It will pass.  Come, my brother, it is time.” Unum ducked under his arm, slipped an arm around his waist, and got the larger man moving.  They moved forward, stopping when the two of them stood directly in front of the vessel.

            Within their case, the crystalline shards looked dull.

            "We won't be needing these any longer, my brother," Unum urged.  "Come to me now!"

            He instinctively reached out, joining together with his brother.  As one, they raised their hands.

            Within their case, the crystalline shards shattered.

            Immediately, the presence inside of him grew stronger, moving in deeper.  He gasped and sensed that, beside him, Unum was feeling the same thing.  "And now it's done," Unum declared.  "Will it be enough to save my life?  I suppose only time will tell.  But that's something to concern ourselves with later.”

            “Take it out of me!”  His head was spinning.

            “I’m afraid that’s no longer possible.  With the vessel destroyed, Father now permanently resides within the two of us.”

            “No!  Take it out of me!”

            “Shh, it’s alright, my brother.”  Unum turned to him, was holding him close again.  “I know you’re frightened.  I was too, at first, and so was my first brother.  It’s a war in your mind right now, the man you were battling for control with what you’ve become.  But by morning, that should be settled.  At that point, I suspect you’ll be very unhappy with me.”

            “I’m already unhappy with you!  What did you do to me?”

            Unum cupped his face between his hands.  “Tell me your name.”

            “It’s…”  He frowned in confusion.  Rolling his lips into his mouth, he thought hard.  Then he shook his head.  “I don’t know?”

            For some reason, this made Unum’s smile grow wider.  “It’s Duo,” he said.  “Your name is Duo.”

            “Duo?”  Duo tried it out.  It seemed right, but at the same time, horribly wrong.  He narrowed his eyes, frowning at Unum.  “My name is Duo?”

            “Yes, my brother.”  One of Unum’s hands dropped to Duo’s shoulder, while the other stroked his cheek.  “Finally getting some color back in those cheeks.  Excellent.  Your mind will stabilize by morning, but your powers are another story.  That will come slower.”  Unum cocked his head birdlike, eyeing Duo.  “What can you sense?”

            Duo closed his eyes.  “There’s noise, like my ears are underwater.  And you, you’re happy, and excited, but at the same time, you’re angry.”

            Unum laughed in astonishment.  “The noise is the start of your telepathy.  I suspected that the empathy would come first, but not this quickly!”  He let go of Duo and took a step back.  “Can you still sense my emotions?”

            Duo opened his eyes again.  “No.”

            “Tactile only at this point.  Still, very impressive, even more so that you have the empathic element at all.  I’ve no doubt you’ll have all three powers in time.”  He took Duo’s hand.  “It’s time those naughty boys learned the price of disobedience.  I think we should start with Elton, don’t you?”

            A moment later, Unum had flashed them to a holding cell.  Elton had been lying on the cot inside, looking moodily at the ceiling.  But he got up like a shot.  “Boss!  Dammit, Unum, he wasn’t ready!  You’re lucky he didn’t turn into a vegetable!”

            “I took a chance, I know,” Unum confessed.  “But it’s worked out well in the end.  My Duo, do you remember Elton?”

            Duo nodded.  “Let him out.”

            “I’m afraid that’s out of my hands.”

            “Unum, you son of a bitch,” Elton growled.  “You can’t control him like you could the psionics, so drop the whole ‘My Duo’ bullshit.  Boss, I’m sorry, man.  A big part of me was really rooting for you to beat this thing.  But I think we both knew it was inevitable.  Thing is, once you come into your own?  Well, then you won’t be top dog anymore, Unum.  We both know he’ll be more powerful than you are.”

            “He already has the empathy, and he’s touching on the telepathy,” Unum admitted.  He wasn’t upset at all.  Duo could sense his pride just as he could hear it in his brother’s voice, see it in the way he smiled when he looked at him.  “He’ll be magnificent, Elton!  And don’t worry about me.  I will be right by his side the whole way.”

            “Job’s already taken!” Elton snapped.  “He picked me, you fucker, not you!  Boss, listen, he’s going to try to sway you, and you gotta fight back, alright?  You’re a good man.  Remember that!”

            “Do spare the dramatics,” Unum sighed.

            “Hey Unum, isn’t there a puppy somewhere you should be kicking?  Boss, you’re in a cesspool here, alright?  When you throw a good man into a cesspool, there’s only one of two options.  Either the good man cleans up the entire cesspool, or he drowns in the shit and becomes just another piece of it.  Don’t you drown, boss.  You hear me?  Don’t you dare fucking drown!”

            “Elton?”  Duo’s head was swimming again.

            “And you’re name isn’t Duo!” Elton yelled quickly.  “It’s Blake!  You’re _Blake!_   You gotta remember…”

            Flash.  They were in Hardwire’s room now.  The screen displayed a blinking cursor, and nothing more.  The cyborg himself floated silent and still in his column as Unum let go of Blake and approached the main screen.  “Hardwire?” he called.  “Recognize Shard Duo.”

            The cursor continued to blink.

            Unum gave an exaggerated sigh.  “What is it now?  I thought you considered my brother a friend!  So act like it and recognize him so we can get him logged properly into the system!”

            HIS NAME IS NOT SHARD DUO.

            “It is now.  Hardwire, recognize Shard Duo, that is a direct order!”

            The cursor flashed again for several long moments.

            ACKNOWLEDGED.  RECOGNIZE SHARD DUO.  WELCOME, SHARD DUO.

            “Hey, buddy!”  Duo moved closer, smiling as he approached the column.

            “Don’t bother too much with him, my brother,” Unum called.  He was at one of the keyboard terminals, rapidly typing.  “He’s been sulking for hours, ever since I took you to the Shard room.”

            Duo paused.  The reflection on the transparent column that housed Hardwire was blurred and wavy.  But something glowed green.  Troubled, he put his hand on the column.  Then he sucked in his breath.  The cyborg’s emotions were faint, but Hardwire was anything but sulking.  White hot rage boiled in Hardwire’s veins.  The withered body twitched as Duo looked sharply up at him.

            “Hardwire?” Unum called.  “Where are Shard One and Shard Five?”

            SHARD ONE AND SHARD FIVE ARE IN THE MAIN ROOM OF SHARD SECTION, STILL SEATED AT THE TABLE WHERE YOU LEFT THEM.  SHALL WE DISCUSS THE LOCATION OF SHARD SEVEN?

            “I’m well aware of where he is.  We’ll get to that soon enough.”  Apparently finished, Unum rose and walked towards Duo.

            Duo’s eyes were on the screen behind Unum.  Words were scrolling across the screen, an endless run-on sentence.  BE STRONG BLAKE THEY NEED YOU I AM DOING ALL I CAN TO HELP YOU JUST BE STRONG HANG ON REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE YOU ARE BLAKE SHELTON PLEASE REMEMBER THEY NEED YOU HELP THEM BLAKE YOU CANNOT LET IT CONTROL YOU PLEASE REMEMBER

            “What is it?”  Unum turned around, but saw only a cursor on a blank screen.

            Duo leaned back against the column, spread his left hand palm down against it and felt that anger again.  That hot, pulsing fury.  He shook his head.  “Nothing.”

            “Good.  Now that you’re officially registered as part of Shard, we can work on slowly returning your access.  Of course, you’ll primarily be with me.  I guess we need to get used to spending some quality time together anyway.  After all, we're sharing so much now!  But first we need to connect you to our psionics.  Would you like that?"

            Psionics?  Yes, he wanted that.  Duo nodded.

            "Good.  Give me your hand, my brother."

            Duo tapped once on Hardwire’s column with his left hand, extending his right to Unum.

            Now the two were back to the main room in Shard section.  Duo was moving a bit quicker now, although he still felt exhausted.  He could sense them, his psionics, the energy they provided him, the power.  There was a third near, somewhere a bit farther off, and more elsewhere.  But these two were here, the first of his psionics, and the energy they provided was exactly what he needed.  Both leapt to their feet when he and his brother stepped in.  "Gentlemen?" Unum declared.  He helped Duo into a chair, and then lifted his chin.  Duo looked up, seeing the expressions of shock and horror in the faces of his chi and his telepath.  "I'd like to introduce Duo!"

            They only stared at him, pale-faced and shocked.  “Oh you bastard,” his chi breathed.  “You bastard, how could you?  How could you do it to him?  You son of a bitch, how could you do it?”

            Unum was laughing, a cruel laugh Duo didn't like.  "You know, my One, I'm aware you did it in your sleep, but I've never actually seen it while you were awake.  It's good to know you _can_ cry!"

            "Fuck you, Unum!"  His telepath was indeed crying, tears streaking his face even as he snarled furiously at Unum.  “Haven’t you done enough?  Get the fuck away from us!”

            "Of course.  Why don't I let you three get acquainted?  I've got several important calls to make.  And do be polite?  Duo is going to be spending a lot of time with us, and it's a good idea to start out on his good side."  And with that, Unum strolled out and was gone.

            "Blake?"  His chi was here, kneeling in front of him and clutching at his hands.  "Blake, can you hear me, buddy?"

            "Yeah, I hear ya," Duo grumbled.  "Head's killing me, buddy, but it’s better now.  Why’s everyone keep calling me Blake?"

            His chi stilled.  He was crying now too, even as his hands tightened on Duo’s.  "Draw from us, ok?  We can help you.  I…  Gareth, come on, it's _Blake!_ "

            "I know," his telepath hiccupped.  He'd been backing away, horrified.  "It's just that Duo was…"

            "I get it, but this isn't Breaker.  If either of them’s turned into Breaker, it’s the piece of shit that just left.  This is Blake, and he needs us, so suck it up, alright?"

            His telepath came closer, putting his arms around Duo's shoulders.  "I'm here, Blake."

            Duo didn’t bother to correct them.  He smiled, holding them both, and sighed as he felt their energy flow into him, easing some of the ache he felt.  His ears seemed to be ringing, his telepath and his chi exchanging something as their eyes met over his head.  Duo shook his head, but it didn't help.  “Blake, that’s my name, is it?” he asked.  “It feels right even though it feels wrong.  Nothing is making sense right now.”

            “Yeah, I know it’s not, buddy.  Listen, do you know who we are?”

            “You’re my chi,” Duo answered promptly.  “And he’s my telepath.”

            He could feel their dismay and a twinge of fear as he held them.  “We’ve got names, mate,” his telepath reminded.  “Your name is Blake Shelton.  Do you recall ours?”

            “You’re my One, and he’s my Five.  No, wait…”  He held them close, fighting to clear his head.  “Gareth!  Gareth and Matt!  Mother of fuck, what’s going on?”

            Relief, rolling in a wave.  “He took you to the shards, mate!” Gareth exclaimed.  “He took you in there and exposed you to the Duo portion of Father, and now it’s inside of you.  That’s why you’re a proper mess.  I can sense it, it’s like a tug of war with your mind as the rope.”

            “Damned good description.”  He groaned, let the two brothers go, and rubbed at his eyes.  "He did something to me, didn't he?" he asked.  "Fucked up my eyes again?"

            "You're…"  His chi swallowed hard.  "You're like him now, Blake.  Like Unum."

            "Ah.  That's why he had us shatter the shards."  He noted the stunned expressions and sighed.  "Guess that means, what, it's permanent?  No going back?  Well, shit."  He got up and pulled them both close again, putting an arm around each of them as they stood uneasily watching him.  He closed his eyes and sighed.  The energy felt wonderful, but he worried.  What if he drained them too much?  He let them go, looked at them gratefully, and then frowned.  "What's with the green everywhere?  You guys both look like you're about ready to throw up!"

            "We are, or I am," his chi confessed.  "I can't believe he did this to you!"

            "It's your eyes," his telepath explained.  "They're going to glow all the time, now.  That's what you're seeing, the green."

            "Huh.  Whole world has a refreshing mint flavor."

            That got an uneasy laugh from the two.  He closed his eyes again, focusing hard.  _Blake, I’m Blake, I’m not Duo, fuck off!_   Amazingly, the presence in his mind retreated.  At last, his mind started to clear.

            Blake looked at them, seeing the new dampness on both of their faces.  "Hey.  Don't cry over me, ok?  I'm all kinds of fucked up now, keep thinking of the two of you as 'my telepath' and 'my chi' instead of your names, but give me some time to get used to this, ok?  Yeah, something’s inside of me, and it’s a problem, but I'm still here.  I’m Blake Shelton, and I'll do my damnedest to stay that way.  Just help me out when you catch me being stupid, ok?"

            "It won't be that easy," his chi warned.  "You've got something in your head now that’s doing part of your thinking for you.  Trust us, we know what it's like."

            "If it ain't even from this dimension, then that means it's never dealt with a genuine Oklahoma mule," Blake declared.  "It's fucking with me now, but I guarantee Mamma Shelton's boy is going to fuck right back!"

            That made them both smile and look slightly relieved.

            Blake looked around.  "Where's my empath?"

            The smiles immediately vanished.  His telepath looked sadly at him.  "Say his name, Blake."

            His name?  Of course his name, what the hell was he thinking?  "Adam!  Where's Adam?"

            "Fucking Unum locked him in his quarters," his chi – _Matt!_ – reported.

            "How do we get in there?  Can Elton open it, or Hardwire?"

            "Not the private quarters of a Project Leader, no," his te- _Gareth,_ explained.  "I've spoken with Adam, told him what's happened.  He'd already told us that Unum took you to the shards, and Unum confirmed it, but we didn't know…"  He swallowed.  "Adam's upset, but he'll be alright.  Unfortunately, we can’t get him out of there.  All we can do is wait until Unum lets him out."

            “Let’s tell him, Gareth,” Matt urged.

            “Don’t you think he’s got quite enough to worry about?”

            “Tell me what?” Blake demanded.

            Gareth immediately clammed up.  But Matt looked at him, his blue eyes solemn.  “We may be human controlled, but we’re still integrated.  That means we need to integrate with each other at least every couple of nights.  We can hold off tonight, maybe even tomorrow, but the next day?  Eventually we won’t be able to stop it.  We’ll integrate, and if Adam’s still trapped in there, well…”

            “He’ll be helpless, Blake,” Gareth said quietly.  “He’ll be locked in Unum’s quarters and he’ll be helpless.  We need to find a way to get him out before that happens!”

            Blake got up.  "Lemme talk to him."

            The brothers led him to Unum’s door.  Blake could faintly hear pounding, hear Adam’s voice.  It sounded like he was yelling “Let me out,” which made sense.  But he couldn’t be sure.  “Adam!” he yelled.  He pounded on the door.  A faint thud sounded in return.  He pounded out “shave and a haircut” and smiled when Adam returned with “two bits.”

            Turning to Gareth, he said, “You said you spoke with him.  You mean telepathically?”  When Gareth nodded, he said, “Alright, let me talk to him.”

            "I don't know that I can…"

            Blake reached for Gareth, held him close, and reached out through the telepath's senses.  _Adam?  You alright, buddy?_

_Blake?  How…!  I'm fine, what about you?_

_All sorts of fucked up, but so far, in control.  Are you sure you're alright?_

_No, I'm not alright, but I'll manage.  You just stay in control!_

_That piece of shit touch you?_

_I told you, I’m fine._

_Not an answer._

_I’m fine, Blake!  He put his hands on me a bit, kissed me, but that’s it.  But he won’t let me out!  As you’ve probably figured out, he’s deteriorating fast, and it’s not just physical.  I really think he’s psychotic, Blake.  Be careful!_

Blake clenched his teeth.  _He better keep his hands to himself from now on.  Soon as he comes back, we'll make him let you out, and he's not locking you in there again!  Just hold tight, ok?_

_He's not going to let me out, Blake.  As long as I’m trapped in here, he can use me as leverage against you and my brothers.  He’s not going to give that up by letting me out!  And he can just teleport in here without you ever seeing him.  He doesn’t even have to open the door, and he can come in and out of here whenever he wants!  
_

Blake sucked in his breath.  _If he touches you again…!_

_I can handle it.  Just worry about you, and get me out when you can.  I'll be fine._

            Blake didn’t believe a word of it, but there was no point arguing.  He broke the contact and let Gareth go.  “In three days, you guys will integrate and he’ll be helpless.  Alright.  We got three days to figure something out!  When…”  He looked up, finally seeing the shocked, wide-eyed expressions being leveled at him.  "What?""

            "You just used me, used my senses, to reach out to Adam!" Gareth exclaimed.  "How did you do that?  How did you even know it was possible?"

            "Well, because I…"  Blake froze, suddenly feeling cold.  "Guys, my ass is seriously kicked.  I need to lie down for a while, ok?  Just wake me up if assbag shows his face, and we'll make sure he lets Adam out of there."

            The brothers exchanged a glance, but said nothing.  They helped Blake back into Gareth's room, where he immediately collapsed on the bed.  His glowing green eyes closed until the two left.  Then they opened, staring hard at the ceiling.

            When Gareth had asked him how he'd known to use his telepathic senses, he'd come very close to replying something that would have destroyed all the trust the brothers had in him forever.

            _Because I'm the one who integrated you!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun said some very nasty things about Unum.


	40. Civil War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hardwire makes his move, and Blake gets some unexpected help

            Blake woke up to the awareness that someone was in the room with him.  He sat up before he was fully awake.  "Unum!"

            “No," Unum said.  "I know what you're going to ask me, and the answer is no.  I’m not letting Levine out.  He’ll stay right where he is.”

            “You son of a bitch!” Blake snarled.  “How about I go get the others and we just take turns beating the everloving shit out of you until you change your mind?”

            “Because I have taken the liberty of securing this room," Unum explained cheerfully.  "You're not going anywhere, my Duo.  And it seems that you’re back in control, for the most part.  How about we chat?"

            "You locked us both in?"

            "No, I locked _you_ in.  You may recall, I've mastered the art of teleportation?  That's something Duo never did figure out, nor have any of the psionics.  So in that aspect, I'm unique.  Neither this door nor the one on my quarters ever needs to open again, yet I am still completely mobile and able to access both locations.  Therefore, you'll stay here, and our empath will remain in my quarters."  He smiled.  “He really is quite stubborn.  While he seems to have learned his lesson about using his empathy on me, he spent a most uncomfortable night.  Rather than joining me in the bed, he slept all night on the floor in front of the door.  Pity.  But I suppose it’s not unexpected.  I knew it would take time before he’d learn to accept me again.”

            “You’re not going to touch him!”  Blake was shaking in fury.  “Keep your hands off of him, Unum!”

            “I’m not Breaker,” Unum declared, looking pointedly at Blake.  “I have no intention or need to force myself on our empath.  Once we reintegrate him, he’ll be most willing to accept us both.  Now, are you willing to talk?"

            "Fine.  Let's talk."  Blake had been willing to negotiate.  This latest comment, though, had Blake rubbing at his temples, trying to remind himself that he'd get nowhere with Unum unless he stayed calm.  The brothers were all counting on him.  It was the only thought that was capable of keeping Blake from closing Unum's mouth with his foot.

            "How are you feeling, my brother?" Unum asked, sitting next to him.

            "Headache," Blake confessed.  "But it's a lot better than last night.  I was getting confused, thinking weird thoughts…"

            "Thoughts that aren't your own?  I understand.  In your case, it's probably worse than it was for me, because Duo had a previous host.  It's possible some of his memories…"

            "Yeah."  Unum was giving him a hungry, expectant look that made Blake uncomfortable.  "What, Unum?"

            "Duo, the first Duo?  He could leave the shards while I could not, and that was something that puzzled me.  With the entity in the two of us, the shards should have been empty vessels.  So why did I need to stay close to them to stabilize my body?  It wasn't until after you took on Duo that I understood.  You see, the entity never completely left the shards until the Duo segment went into you.  That's why the shards still stabilized me, and I'm convinced that it's also why my first brother went psychotic.  He was incomplete.  But you, my brother?  Being near you is like being next to the shards!  I took a chance when we broke them, but I don't need them anymore.  Now, all I need is you."

            "That so?" Blake drawled, leaning back.  "Then it seems to me that I finally got a bargaining position."

            "Or that I have every reason in the world to keep you confined."

            "Try it, Unum," Blake challenged.  "You'll come in and find me hanging by my belt, and then what will you do?"

            It was a bluff, but Unum went still.  "I see.  So that's the level that you and our psionics have stooped to."

            "What choice do we have, Unum?  You forced our hand!  I figured out real quick that I can't get out of Shard section anymore and the brothers never could, so you've got us locked in.  And with Adam locked in your quarters, what can we do?  You’ve trapped us, Unum!  So if that’s the only card I got left to play?  Well, it’s your call."

            "And now our One and our Five have announced that they're basically on strike.  This is a most unpleasant situation.”

            "What we have here is called a Mexican Standoff," Blake declared.  "Now let's talk terms.  First, and before we go any further, you let Adam out!"

            "No.  I already told you, I'm not letting him out.  That isn't negotiable."

            "Then this is going to take a very, very long time!"

            Unum sighed.  He put his arm around Blake and leaned against the larger man’s shoulder.  “You know, I expected to come in here and find Shelton in charge, and obviously I was right.  But my Duo, there are a few things that you don’t seem to understand.  First, you are not finished yet.  Duo wants you, but so does the Unum portion in me.  And eventually, you will take on both aspects and become Father.  When that happens, if I survive I will be reduced to what Elton and Murray are.”

            “Enhanced monkeys?”

            “Precisely.  But I will still be the only one with any real understanding of what you are, my brother.  You’ll need me more then than you do now.  And you do need me now.”

            Blake took Unum’s arm and firmly removed it from around himself.  “How about you keep your hands off of me?”

            “Oh ho!  I see your powers have continued to develop!  But you have a long way to go, my Duo, especially mentally.  And that is the second point I came here to make.  Just how much of Breaker is in you?”

            Blake eyed him.  “What do you mean?”

            “I mean, have you had memories that aren’t your own?”

            Blake didn’t answer, and that was answer enough.  Unum put his arm around him again, and this time Blake made no move to remove it.  “You need me, my brother,” Unum urged.  “I complete you, and I can stabilize you.  I did it for Breaker, I can do it for you.  You know, killing him was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  It felt like killing part of myself!  But there was no choice.  He was deteriorating, his mind so far gone that he actually abducted Levine on live television, exposing them both, and by extension the Company, to the world!  God alone knew what he would do next!  But you?”  He tightened his arm around Blake.  “You really are a perfect host, aren’t you?  I will stabilize your memories, help you learn to use your powers as they develop.  And together, we can go anywhere!  We can find more empaths, make more trios, and prepare the way.”

            “Prepare the way for what?”

            “Why, for Father, of course!  And once he’s inside of you?  Well!  What could stand against us?”

            And then the room shook as an explosion echoed from outside.  As everything settled down, the sound of Styx kicked in from the speakers, "Renegade" blaring out on the guitar solo.  Unum and Blake exchanged a look, Unum furious, Blake hopeful.  "Elton!" they exclaimed in unison.

            Blake smiled, feeling Adam's empathic senses sweep over and then narrow in on him, marking him like a beacon.  "Uh oh," Blake called, getting to his feet, "feels like things just fell apart for you, brother!  How about opening the door before Elton has another excuse to use explosives?"

            Unum's face made Blake feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  The man cursed in some language Blake didn't know.  But when someone pounded on the door, he got up and opened it.

            Adam nearly bowled him over as he charged into the room to glomp Blake.  "Blake!  Are you alright?"

            Adam, his Adam, back in his arms at last!  "I'm fine, baby," Blake assured, holding him tightly.  "Eyes are messed up, and my head isn't much better, but I'm still me.  You're the one I was worried about!"  He glared over Adam's head at Unum, who had retreated to stand near the door as Elton, Matt, and Gareth filed in past him.  "Did he hurt you, I mean…?"

            "No.  I'm alright,” Adam gasped.  “Just loosen your grip, Big Country, you’re hurting me!" 

            Startled, Blake loosened his grip, and Adam took a deep breath.  Now he understood what Unum was saying earlier.  His physical strength seemed much greater as his chi element grew.

            Adam cradled Blake's face, his hazel eyes pained as he looked up at Blake.  "I'm such an idiot!  I forgot that you were the vulnerable one, the one we were supposed to be protecting, and he…"

            "We all knew that sooner or later this was going to happen," Blake soothed.  He pulled Adam close again.  "I'm alright, baby."  He paused.  “Um, Adam, this really isn’t the time?”

            Adam blushed.  “Ok, you can sense that, but I can’t help it!  I love you, and now that you’re…  Well, my empathy…”

            “It’s ok, just cool your jets.”  Blake said this as much to himself as Adam.  The sudden wave of lust he’d just sensed from the empath was making it hard to think.

            "Boss, we got big news!" Elton exclaimed.  "Hardwire's been hard at work, and oh boy, did he stir up a hornet's nest back on Earth!  The punk got in contact with some old friends of yours, filled them in on a number of things, and now they're putting their heads together, ready to have a press conference and drop the mic on the whole Company."

            "The board is listening now!" Matt crowed.  "Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Carson Daly, and all the bigwigs behind 'The Voice' got one hell of a wake-up call today.  Hardwire nearly blew up their inboxes with files, videos, everything they need to bring the Company to its knees, including the names and personal information behind the Project Leaders, every member of the board and most of the major financial backers."

            "That's blackmail!" Unum exclaimed.

            "Yeah," Elton drawled.  "Isn't it great?"

            "You're going down for this too, Elton!" Unum reminded.

            "And frankly, it's about time," Elton retorted.  "I did a lot of shit that I'm not real proud of.  I still believe in the science, and obviously I got a personal benefit from a lot of it.  But until I threw in my lot with Blake, I never even really thought of our integrated psionic operatives as human.  And of course, they're not.  But people like the doc deserve to be heard!  And the way they were all forced into integration?  Well, we can't hide behind the old 'Breaker did it, not us' excuse anymore, especially not after what we did to Levine!  And now we gotta face the music with people that _are_ human, and were directly affected by what we've done.  Because Hardwire notified their families as well, Unum.  The immediate families of all five of our integrated psionics found out what really happened to their relatives today, and the people at 'The Voice' are arranging to have them all brought in.  When this press conference goes down?  Alicia and Miley and their families are going to be standing shoulder to shoulder with the families of our psionics.  Good luck silencing all of that!"

            "Why, Elton?" Unum asked, incredulously.  "Why suddenly turn traitor now, especially when you know you'll be kneeling at the chopping block the same as the rest of us?"

            "Because it turns out I actually do have a conscience, even though I hide it well," Elton declared.  "And more importantly?  Because Hardwire has eyes and ears all over this base, including the board room!  And he heard what you said, you son of a bitch!  Did you really think you could recommend to the board that they remove him from the computer systems, _threaten my little boy,_ and get away with it, you piece of shit?  That was the worst and last mistake you ever made!"

            And now the music changed, "Take A Picture" by Filter replacing Styx.  _"Hey, Dad, what do you think about your son now?"_

            "I think you're amazing, punk," Elton called, smiling.  "I always did."

            It happened so fast that not even Elton, whose speedy reflexes had astounded Blake when he'd come to rescue him from Terra, was fast enough to stop it.  Unum, who had remained all this time by the door, suddenly closed it.  Then he shot forward, grabbed Gareth, who had remained shyly back near the door, and disappeared.

            The uproar was immediate and loud.  Finding the door locked, Matt had started pounding on it.  Blake had to grab him and drag him back.  "You're only going to hurt yourself!  Adam, calm everyone down so we can think!"

            As soon as calm washed over the room, Blake turned to Elton.  "Elton, can you get us out of here?"

            "Probably not," Elton confessed.  "First thing that asshole did was get my authorizations suspended.  Only reason I even got into Shard section was because the punk blew through the security clearances on the doors.  Hardwire, can you override this?"

            STANDBY flashed on the scanner.  HACKING SHARD ASSHOLE'S CODE.  BUT THIS WILL TAKE TIME.  SHARD ONE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE SHARD ROOM.

            "What the hell for?" Elton wanted to know.  "He can't reintegrate One, er, sorry, Gareth, without you, boss!  So what's the point of…  Oh."

            Blake had his hands full.  Matt had gone still and pale, but now he was fighting, struggling to get free from Blake.  "Calm down, buddy!" Blake called.  "Elton, grab Adam, these two are going nuts!"

            "So calm 'em down, boss!" Elton advised, grabbing Adam as the empath threw himself at the door.

            "Believe me, I'd love to!"

            "Boss, you're holding back a pissed off chi!" Elton pointed out.  "You've got the chi element for sure.  We always projected that you'd end up with all three powers.  Now's the time to test that empathy!"

            Blake cursed his own stupidity.  He focused on Matt, feeling his panic, and actively pushed at it.  It wasn't easy, especially not with waves of panic coming in from both Adam and Gareth.  But somehow he managed.  Matt stilled, panting, in his arms.  But when he tried the same trick with Adam, he saw stars.

            "Empaths can't really affect other empaths, and telepaths can’t control other telepaths," Matt offered, apparently guessing what had just happened when Blake gasped.  "Let me go, Blake, you're hurting me.  I'm ok, and I think I know how to help Adam."

            Blake let Matt go.  The chi walked calmly over to Adam, who was still struggling in Elton's arms, and slapped him sharply across the face.

            That stilled everyone in the room.

            "Adam, I'm sorry, brother," Matt apologized.  "But Gareth needs you now!  Calm yourself, and calm Gareth before Unum pops back in here and…"

            Once again, it was too fast to react.  Unum flashed in, grabbed Matt, and flashed back out almost immediately.

            _"Motherfucker!”_   Elton shoved Adam, once again in a full panic, to Blake.  "Hold him tight, boss!  He's obviously trying to force your hand here.  These guys may have their humans in control, but they're still integrated, and they’re flat out terrified of those chairs in the Shard room.  And once the telepath gives in…"

            "I've seen it!  _Dammit!_   Adam, stop, baby, please, you gotta fight this."

            "He’s locking them into the chairs!”  Adam’s eyes were distant, wide with panic as he sensed what was happening to his brothers.  “He's gonna reintegrate us!  He's gonna force us back under!  Blake, I can't go through it again, please!"

            "He's not!" Blake vowed.  "He couldn't do shit without the shards, right?  Well, the shards are broken, which means he can't do shit without me.  And if he thinks I'm going to help him drag you back into your integration, he is sadly mistaken!"

            "But he won't let them out!" Adam insisted.  “He’s got them locked in those chairs, and he won’t let them out!”

            "No, I won't."  Unum had appeared again.  "My Duo?  Let's talk."

            Elton had moved in front of Blake and Adam.  Adam gasped for air, obviously in the middle of a panic attack.  Blake pulled Elton back, reluctantly pushed Adam towards him, kissed Adam's head, and moved forward to face off with the Shard Leader.  Behind him, he could hear Elton softly speaking to Adam, instructing him to slow his breathing.  But his focus was entirely on Unum.

            Glowing green eyes clashed with glowing green eyes.

            "This cannot continue," Unum said.  "I still don't have an explanation as to why the humans have managed to gain control.  But clearly, they remain integrated."

            "That was never in doubt," Blake replied.  "I'd give anything to take them completely out of that forever, and I'm not done looking for a way to do it.  But their bodies…"

            "…They're not human," Unum finished.  "And they cannot survive without us, brother.  Since you took on Duo, the two of us have been steadily draining them.  They're weakening, because they're only integrated to me, yet two of us are drawing from them.  That’s why I was able to control my chi.  Their powers are greatly reduced, and that will continue until they are properly integrated, not just to each other, but to you.”

            “Excuse me?”

            “My brother, you are the one Father wants.  My readings are dropping fast, both my physical and my mental readings.  I'm losing my mind, Duo, I know that.  And all of Shard, everyone connected to me?  We're all suffering for that, but none more so than our incomplete trio.  Our Dos has already been refusing to eat, actively willing herself to die.  The process is greatly accelerated now.  She won't last much longer, and our Uno will soon follow."

            That hit Blake as an unexpected blow.  For all the trouble that the two wayward psionics had caused, Blake was surprised at how much it hurt to hear this confirmation that the two were doing so poorly.  He remembered how Uno and Dos had battled Four to save Gareth back at the operation.  They'd both claimed afterwards that they did care, that they'd honestly regretted what they'd done in their desperate bid to steal Adam.  But regardless of what they’d done, Blake regretted that they might soon die.  "So, what's the plan?" Blake asked Unum.  "You think if you reintegrate them, it will, what, stop the process?"

            "Our Uno and our Dos are likely doomed," Unum said regretfully.  "Without an empath, there's little point in reintegrating them."

            “They’re not taking me!” Adam cried.

            “No, they’re not,” Blake assured.  “If Adam is taken away from Matt and Gareth, they’ll be no better off than Uno and Dos!”

            "That was never my intention,” Unum explained.  “Our empath belongs in the alpha trio.  Our One and our Five need our Seven, brother, and you need to help me.  The three of them need reintegrated, and they need to integrate to _you_.  Don't believe me?  Try asking your loyal follower!"

            Blake turned, regarded Elton.  Elton had managed to calm Adam somewhat, although Adam was still pale and shaky, his breathing fast.  But Elton's face was twisted into a grimace.  "Sorry, boss, I really did not want to tell you this now," he sighed.  "But yeah.  I asked Hardwire to monitor them because I suspected it might happen, and it did.  The brothers' readings have been steadily dropping.  Remember how I told you that there was nothing stronger than a fully integrated chi?  Even if your powers were at their peak, not even you should have been able to hold Matt at full strength.  Right now, you’re only about as strong as I am, and yet you held him back even when he was in a full panic!  That's proof positive that confirms the readings.  The brothers are fading fast, buddy.  They've got a few days, maybe up to a week, but then…?"

            "No!" Blake yelled.  "You cannot ask me to reintegrate them!"

            "I'm not asking," Unum said calmly.  "I'm telling you.  Give me our empath, let me restrain him with the others…"

            _"No!_   I will _not_ force them into this!  Hardwire, how's that door?"

            HACKING STILL IN PROGRESS, STANDBY.

            "He'll get us out, Unum," Blake threatened.  "And I'm getting the boys out of those chairs.  Then we will all sit down and _discuss_ what they want to do, like civilized people!"

            "Blake, get them out!" Adam begged.  "They're trapped in those chairs and all alone and we can't stand it, please!"

            Blake, face darkened in anger, started towards Unum.  "Unum, I swear, if you don't…"

            Once again, Blake had underestimated the desperate Shard Leader.  As soon as Blake stepped away, Unum flashed behind him, grabbing Elton and Adam both.  And a moment later, all three vanished.

            Blake didn't say a word.  He stared at the spot where the three had been, nearly missing the beep and the opening of the door.  But he turned around fast when a hand touched his shoulder.

            "Duo?"  Murray.

            "Lady, I have never in my life hit a woman.  But I swear, if you try to stop me now…!"

            "I have no intention of stopping you," Murray snarled.  "I've been outside, trying to get into this room, since my son informed me that Unum had locked you all in.  I'm up to date with what has been happening.  Specifically of importance to you, I am aware of what the board and that lying, sneaking, backstabbing piece of _shit_ have in mind for my son!"

            Blake stared at her in stunned surprise.  "You care?"

            "My emotions are strange, as you've obviously noticed," Murray explained.  "Taking on the empathy portion of Shard has altered me in many ways, made me a different person.  I'm aware of my own readings.  I need stability, and now I have a singular opportunity to obtain that.  I would like to negotiate with you, make an arrangement that could provide benefits to many outside of you and I.  But first, know that the one real emotion I can feel is love.  It usually is expressed as, well, let's not upset my son again, you're obviously aware.  But I feel a mother's love for her child.  And no one, _no one_ threatens my baby!"

            A smiley face had appeared on the scanner on the door.  Now that the door was opened, the sounds of fighting could be heard outside. 

            Seeing the question in Blake's eyes, Murray took his hand and explained as she led him out.  "Unum went to the board, told him we had a full-fledged revolt on our hands and requested reinforcements.  But Hardwire, well, I’ve never seen my son so motivated!  He informed Operations that John had been imprisoned, and that was all they needed to know.  John's men went rogue.  They obviously busted him out of prison, and they’ve been fighting those reinforcements, and now my people are out there with them.  You see, John's men are all fiercely loyal to him, Duo, far more than they are to the Company.  He's stood shoulder to shoulder with them, taken hits to protect them, run into burning buildings to save them, you get the idea.  The bottom line is that they'd give their lives for him.  My own people, well, I'm not loved.  But my son is!  And all the resources of Data section are being put to use out in those halls.  And if the Company's thugs somehow manage to get through the combined might of Operations and Data, then they'll face me."  She gave him a ferocious grin.  "There is no bigger bitch than a mother trying to protect her child!  I'll give you as much time as I can."

            Blake had already noticed her deadly Stem Staff hanging from her belt.  She had a number of other worrisome devices as well, and looked ready to fight.  Blake felt a moment of pity for anyone who had to face off with her as she quickly unlocked a series of doors, letting Blake into a too-familiar room.  She gave him a nod as she closed the door and headed back out, ready to guard the entrance.

            Blake walked in and faced off with Unum.

            Unum had his back to Blake, facing the brothers in their chairs.  Gareth and Matt were already fully restrained.  Their pale faces were full of fear, but to Blake’s relief, both were struggling in their restraints.  They hadn’t given up yet.  Adam was still fighting with Unum.  Despite his panic, he was straining against the clamps, still struggling as Unum forced his free arm down towards the pressure sensors.  The popcorn sounds rang out, and Adam was trapped.  His eyes blazed.  _"No!_   Stop it, Unum, let me out!”

            "I told you, if you used your empathy on me, I would use the suppressants, so enough!  This will happen, my empath!"

            "Like hell it will!" Blake bellowed.  "Get away from them, Unum!"

            All three of the brothers brightened at the sight of Blake, but Unum didn't yet turn around.  "Hello, my Duo," he called.  "I've been expecting you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pro tip - Never play chess with a cyborg attached to a massive computer bank.
> 
> Mr. Fun did a very amusing dance. Yelled, "Fuck 'em up, Blake!" He seems very into this story!


	41. The Anger of a Gentle Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man." - Patrick Rothfuss

            "My Duo, you are just in time," Unum said, finally turning to face Blake.  Incredibly, the man was smiling.  "The worst is over.  I know it would have been difficult for you to restrain them, so I've taken the liberty."

            Blake smiled back, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.  "Good, now take the liberty of letting them go."

            "That's not wise, my brother.  They cannot escape this room, but they always struggle during reintegration.  Heavy restraint is necessary to prevent injury."

            "You really are losing your mind, aren't you, Unum?" Blake snarled.  "I will _not_ reintegrate them!  Let them go, or get the hell out of my way while I do it!"

            "You'd condemn us all to death, just to keep Levine?"  Unum's voice was incredulous.  "My Duo, this is our only complete Shard trio!  Don't you understand?  Don't you get that we _need_ them?"

            "They're more than a triple-prong power outlet, Unum!" Blake exclaimed.  "Yeah, they're not doing well, but what you don't get is that you have no right, _no fucking right_ , to force this on them!  You treat them like slaves!"

            "They _are_ slaves," Unum insisted.  "Our integrated psionics are worker drones, like bees gathering honey for the royalty.  And you and I, my brother?  We are that royalty!  As to their rights, what right do the three of them have to take away the choices from the rest of us?  Once we integrate them to you, you will have the power to stabilize me, my Duo.  Then we can try to stabilize the others.  You can save my life, and by doing so, save everyone else connected to me.  But if you refuse because of three men, or truthfully one man?  You condemn not only that man and these other two, but every one of us as well, right down to your treacherous Elton!"

            "Where is Elton?"

            "I dropped him off in a holding cell.  He's fine, as long as I am alive."  Unum took a step forward.  "And that is the real issue you face now, my brother.  Your power is steadily increasing, but you cannot defeat me.  And no matter what, you can't kill me!  If I die, my portion of Father would immediately pass to you.  And you're not capable of permanently taking on my half of Father yet.  You need me, my brother!  And I need this.  Give me what I want.  Help me integrate them!"

            Blake glanced at the brothers.  Adam was watching with his heart in his eyes, his face full of fear.  Matt was breathing hard, his fists clenched in their restraints, looking like he wanted to fight.  And Gareth was still struggling in his chair.  That did Blake's heart good.  Gareth hadn't given up.  If he still had the will to fight, the others would as well.  "Gareth?" he called.  "What do you want, buddy?"

            “Don’t integrate me!  Let me out!” Gareth exclaimed.  "Blake, let us go, and we'll stand with you!"

            "Get us out of these things, Blake," Matt snarled.  "We'll help you."

            "Yes!" Adam agreed.  "We’ll find another way to save everyone.  Let us go!  Let's see you take on all four of us, Unum!"

            Blake looked at Unum.  "Well?"

            Unum's answer came in the form of Blake suddenly flying backwards, pinned against the far wall by a crushing force.  The brothers yelled out in protest, all three struggling now as Unum moved towards Blake.  Blake strained, snarling at Unum as he put his hand on Blake's face, closed his eyes, and focused.  "Come to me, my brother.  It is time we returned our wayward children to their nest."

            Once more, the Shard presence sang in Blake's veins.  The brothers cried out, their eyes going wide and glowing brightly, locking on Unum.  Their struggles increased, becoming frantic. 

            “No, don’t integrate me again!”

            “Stop, don’t drag me back in!”

            “Blake, please!”

            Blake could feel them, felt his mind joining with Unum's to reach for them.  Together, he and his brother drew on their minds and began to pull them together, fitting them like puzzle pieces, linking their minds and strengthening their integration.  He could already feel the human elements growing weaker, being forced back…

            “No, Blake, please, you told me you wouldn’t do this!  _Please!_ ”

            Adam.  It was Adam, and the desperation in his voice finally got through to Blake.

            _"No!"_   Blake lashed out with his mind, and suddenly Unum flew back.  Blake fell down to land in a sprawl on the ground, panting, head spinning.  The brothers gasped, their eyes returning to normal.  All three looked dazed, sagging in their restraints.  But they were still there, the humans were still in control.  “I’m sorry!” he told them.  “I won’t do it, just hang on!”

            Unum recovered quickly, lashing out again, battering Blake's mind.

            Blake had no idea how to defend himself, no way to brace against the blows.  The world spun, his ears rang, and bright lights flashed before his eyes.  He gasped, reached deep, and drew on something inside, lashing out once more against Unum's presence in his mind, driving him out.  He was dimly aware of alarms going off somewhere, of smoke and showers of sparks.  But at the moment, Blake was too concerned with keeping Unum out of his mind.  The man's presence seemed everywhere, all around him, poking and prying, looking for and trying every weak spot in Blake's shaky, hastily-constructed shields.  Blake cried out, swayed, but got to his feet.  "No!" he yelled.  "No, you're not going to win this!  I don't care if you fucking kill me, Unum, I won't integrate them!  I won't force them back down, I won’t!"

            "Fine," Unum snarled.  "If you won't help willingly, my brother?  Then I'll break you, as well!"

            And once again, he launched an assault on Blake's mind.  Blake swayed, barely keeping his feet, and inexpertly fought back.

            “Guys, we gotta help him!” Adam yelled.  “Gareth!”

            "Brothers!"  Gareth's voice.  "Come to me now!"

            Now there was another presence, powerful yet familiar.  It shifted, revealing something that Blake couldn't help but recognize.  _Adam!_   Blake reached for the presence, drawing it in, and suddenly it seemed all three of the brothers had somehow joined Blake in his mind.

            _"We're here, mate.  Stay with us now, and we'll help you through this!"_

            Blake got to his feet.  He gasped for air, hindered by a sharp pain in his side.

            _"Son of a bitch broke one of your ribs when he threw you against the wall."_   Matt.  _"Here, buddy."_

            Blake felt his power directed.  There was a pop, a flood of pain, and then the pain was gone.  Blake took a deep breath, faced Unum once more.  _“I’ll keep you up physically,”_ Matt assured.  _“Focus on fighting!”_

            _"You've got to defend yourself,"_ Gareth urged.  _"Unum's going to try to get into your mind, mate, to the Duo part of you, and link the two of you up to create Father.  If he does that, you're going to be shunted aside and then he'll integrate us!"_

_"How do I stop him?"_

_"Shield yourself,”_ Adam called.  _“Unum's more powerful than you are right now, but he's not unbeatable!  Use your emotions, Blake!  Let me show you."_

            Blake's empathy surged, creating a shield around the combined minds just before Unum launched another punishing mental attack.  Blake gasped, faltering.  But Adam was there, his steady presence holding the empathic shields.  Blake gathered the brothers close, drawing on their support, fueling Adam’s shield with his love.  And Adam drew hard on Blake's emotions, making them into a solid wall that warded off the powerful blow with ease.

            Unum's eyes grew wide in surprise.  Stunned, he stumbled, shaking his head to clear it.

_“I got this, babe!”_ Adam called. _“I’ll keep us safe, and Matt will keep you standing.  You get with Gareth and take this motherfucker down!”_

            _"Now's our chance!"_ Gareth called.  The telepath's mental voice was a snarl.  _"Come with me, draw strength, now steady on!  Alright, let him have it, mate!"_

            Now.  Supported by Gareth's powerful mind, Blake lashed out with all his strength.

            The base shook.  Dancing tendrils of plasma formed in the air, arcing around the room.  Unum doubled over and almost seemed to shrink, almost seemed to flicker.  Blake unleashed everything he had, releasing his inhibitions to lash out at this man, this creature who had taken so much from him and threatened all he loved most.

            Unum couldn't stand.  His mind cracked, and his body began to glow brightly.

            _"Stop!"_   Matt's voice, urgent.  _"Blake, Gareth, you're killing him, and if he dies, Father will go into Blake!"_

            Within Blake's mind, Gareth gasped.  Then mental hands grabbed onto Blake, pulled him back.  _"That's enough, mate.  You've won."_

            Unum had collapsed.  In their restraints, the brothers were lying back, eyes closed.  But their presence was still with Blake.  He clung to them.  _"Thank you."_

            The three gathered around him, their gratitude nearly overwhelming.  He instinctively drew them in, holding them close in the mental equivalent of one of his famous bear hugs.

            As one, three sets of glowing eyes snapped open, locked on Blake.

            Blake released them, but the three had grown still, quiet in his mind even as their bodies began to struggle.  _"What is it?  What’s going on?"_

_"Blake?"_ Adam called quietly.  _"Please let us go?"_

_"I did!  Didn't I?"_

_"I don't think he can."_   Gareth's voice, also quiet. 

            _“Breaker didn’t need father to integrate us,”_ Matt reminded.  _“He could do it himself, and Blake’s so much stronger…?”_

_“Tell me I didn’t do it!”_ Blake pleaded.  _“Tell me I didn’t just accidentally integrate you anyway!”_

_"We need to get back to our bodies, brothers,”_ Gareth said.  _“It’s the only way to know."_

            Blake felt the presence of the brothers leave him, returning to their physical bodies.  But all three stayed as they were, not saying a word, straining against the clamps, eyes still locked on Blake.  And a moment later, the three closed their eyes and rested their heads back against the chairs, unconscious.

           "Hey, boss?"  It was Elton's voice, coming in through the speakers just as Blake was about to go into a full-fledged panic.  "Do me a favor and put those electrodes on Gareth, would you?  I'll walk you through it."

            "Elton?  What happened?  What's wrong with them?"

          "That's what I'm trying to find out, boss.  We need to check our telepath to find out, and for that, we need the electrodes.  Take those electrodes on the stand next to Gareth.  You'll see one marked with an A.  Put that on his left temple."

            Blake quickly had the electrodes in place.  He waited anxiously as Elton studied whatever readings he was getting.  "Thought so," Elton said at last.  "They're integrating."

            "What?"

            "Yeah, it's weird, though.  The kid is definitely in integration, but his readings aren't changing.  Well, he's getting stronger, but that's about it.  Hey, how do you feel, boss?"

           "Terrible, but at the same time, fantastic," Blake admitted.  "I integrated them to me, didn't I?  I never intended that, but I did it anyway!"  Blake kicked the base of the pillar that had once housed the shards, creating a sizeable dent.  "Dammit, Elton, what did I do to them?"

            "Ask them yourself.  They're coming around.  That was the fastest they've ever come out of it!"

            Blake turned to see the brothers blinking sleepy eyes at him.  They smiled, and then immediately frowned.  "Hey!" Matt complained.  "Let us go!"

            "Shit, sorry, how do I…?"  He fumbled with the controls.  Elton called a code through the speakers which Blake punched in, and soon all three were free.  Blake immediately gathered them close.  "I'm sorry!  I didn't mean to integrate you!  I had no idea!"

            "Hey, calm down," Matt chuckled.  "We're alright, buddy.  It’s still us in charge.  You didn’t actually integrate us.  You just pulled us off of Unum and onto you is all.  We just sort of reset."

            "We're fine, Blake," Adam assured.  "That was scary, not going to lie, but we're fine.  In fact, I feel better than I've felt in a while."

            "Difference between being connected to a dying host and the strong handsome stud that is our boss," Elton called.  "But Doc, you might want to take a look at Unum."

            Matt cursed and moved to Unum.  He did a quick check.  "He's alive, stable, but unconscious," he reported.  "I'm thinking he's in a coma.  Hey Elton, think we could get a hospital bed in here?"

            "You want to keep him in here?"

            "You want to stay alive?" Matt countered.  "We’ll move him to a better location as soon as we can.  But first, everyone connected through him needs to switch over to Blake, and the sooner the better!  With a proper medical team from Data section, I can stabilize him, hopefully keep him alive until Blake is strong enough to take on Father.  But to do that, we need to reduce the strain on Unum's body as much as we can to give Blake more time."  He turned to Blake, his expression distraught.  “I’m sorry, man.  But he’s not going to survive.  And when he dies…?”

            “Father goes into me.  I get it.”  Blake took a shaky breath.  "First things first.  I gotta, what, draw everyone to me?"

            "Sorry, mate," Gareth apologized.

            "Hey, Blake?" Elton called.  "I need to ask you a favor.  A very, very big favor."

            “More accurately, I do.”  Murray’s voice.  “You remember that arrangement I wanted to make with you?  Well, I find I’m in need of one of the integrated psionic operatives.  I’d like you to give him to me.”

            Matt immediately looked up in alarm, and Blake frowned.  “Lady, you are not touching Matt again!”

            “As much as that disappoints, this time I wasn’t talking about him,” she said.  “No, the one I have in mind is Uno.  I have a proposition for you.”

****

            "You're absolutely sure about this?" Blake asked for the umpteenth time.

            "Of course I'm sure!" Murray snapped.  "Don't ask me again, I won't dignify you with an answer."

            Blake wisely backed off.  He moved to Uno, who was struggling in the chair, and shushed him, trying to offer comfort.  The once neat and pristine Uno looked a mess.  His hair was unkempt and unwashed, his shirt was a wrinkled disaster, and he wasn’t even wearing a tie.  He looked like he’d barely slept, if at all, in days.  Even without an empath, Uno was clearly frightened of the chair.  His terrified eyes turned to Blake as he said something in French.  Blake still didn’t understand the language, but the thought behind it was clear.  “Please don’t hurt me!”

            "You positive we have to strap him down?” Blake called, using his empathy to try to calm the telepath.  “This is awful!"

           "Should be the last time he ever has to do it, boss," Elton assured over the speaker.  "Him and Dos both.  But yeah, they'll hurt themselves or someone else for sure once this starts.  I would have preferred to let you try to do this alone, but Melissa’s not broken, and you’ll need Father.  Just remember, link up with Unum to pull them together, and then drop Unum and pull them to you."

            Blake felt like throwing up, but he'd already lost what seemed like everything he'd eaten for the past week and a half.  He moved to Unum, who was lying comfortably in a hospital bed.  "Whenever you're ready, Matt," he called.

            "Just a moment more."  Matt was still with Dos.  Blake had suspected that there was something between him and the Nigerian chi even without Three's influence.  Now he was sure.  Matt, it turned out, had been spending most of his free time with Dos, caring for her, trying to get her to eat, and doing all in his power to support her as her body declined.  Due to his care, she was neat and clean, but otherwise Dos looked awful.  She barely seemed aware of Matt's presence as he whispered to her in French and gently kissed her cheek.  He held her hands for a long moment, looking anxiously into her dull eyes as she stared through him.  And then he nodded.  "Do what you can, Blake."

            "Right."  Matt stepped out, and he was alone.  Blake looked at the three figures before him, the pale-faced, frightened Uno, the dull-eyed husk that was Dos, and the cool, unconcerned gaze of Dr. Murray.  "Last chance to change your mind, Murray?"

            As promised, Murray didn't respond.  She relaxed in the chair, her long skirts bunched up awkwardly beneath her around the restraints on her legs.  Blake still couldn't believe she'd volunteered for this, but the woman had been adamant.  She’d even climbed willingly into the chair, adjusting her own skirts around the restraints and settling herself comfortably in.  She’d said was that there was no better option for any of them.  And of course, she'd been correct.  Uno and Dos desperately needed an empath, and she was the closest thing they had.  Not born a psionic, no one knew for certain if she could be integrated.  But Blake was astounded that she wanted to try.  So far, the only emotion she’d shown was when she’d scowled as Matt kissed Dos.  If this worked, Uno was going to have his hands full.

            "My son needs a stable mother, and I've been declining for years," she'd said when she had spoken to Blake.  "The only thing that can save me now is being integrated with a strong, stable telepath.  Truth is, I've been thinking about Uno since we rescued him from Breaker.  He and Dos need an empath, and I’m the closest thing we have.  I’m also 92% compatible with Uno and 87% with Dos, which is well within acceptable parameters for integration.  But I didn't make up my mind until I heard Unum had threatened my boy.  I never should have let it get to that point, where my own son despised me and the man I believed in wanted to stab me in the back.  I hate what I’ve become, and I want this, Duo.  I need Uno almost as much as he needs me.  So make us both happy.  Integrate me."

            Blake took a deep breath.  Time to stop procrastinating.  He reached down and took Unum's hand.  "Ok, brother," he said quietly.  "I have no idea what I am doing here, but apparently this will happen on instinct.  Just please, God, don't let me hurt them!"  And with that, he reached for the presence in Unum's mind.

            In the end, Blake was astounded at how easy it was.  The presence of Father shunted aside the three in the chairs with ease and reached at once for their minds, drawing them together.  As soon as it was done, Blake released Unum's hand, sending half the entity back to the still body.  Then he reached out alone and once again drew the three close, pulling them to him.

            When the new Shard trio didn't immediately wake up afterwards, Blake panicked.  In Adam's memory, the brothers had awakened right away after Adam had been integrated with them.  But Elton only laughed.  "Of course he wouldn't remember being unconscious, boss!” he declared, not looking up from his datapad.  “The brothers were down for almost four hours when we first integrated Levine.  That's the first time we actually did a complete integration, so it's the only data we have.  So I'd expect…  Uh, I’m gonna need that to record observations.”

            “Hardwire is making a video recording of all this and you know it,” Blake declared, setting his datapad aside.  “You have something more important to do right now.”

            “What’s that boss?  Ack!  Not into guys, lemme go!”

            Blake had suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.  Elton gasped, his eyes blazing as Blake reached for him, drawing the special ops soldier turned scientist to himself.  Pulled from Unum to Blake, Elton suddenly went limp in Blake's arms, his eyes rolled back. 

            THANK YOU appeared on the datapad.

            “You didn’t think I’d forget your daddy, now, did you, Hardwire?”

            I WAS PREPARED TO REMIND YOU.  BUT THIS IS BETTER.

            Blake smiled.  He stretched Elton out on the bed behind the beanbag where the two of them had placed Uno, Dos, and Murray.  Then he nodded to the brothers, who had offered to watch over them.  “I’ll be right back,” he explained.  “One more thing I have to do.”

            “Hurry back,” Matt called.  “I’m telling Elton you kissed him.”

            Blake cheerfully gave him the finger.  Then he returned to the Shard room.

            Unum lay there, silent and still in the hospital bed.  Blake sat on the bed and drew Unum into his arms.  Once more, he reached out.  The presence of Unum was faint, barely a spark, but Blake pulled it to himself.  The spark grew stronger.  But even so, Blake realized, Unum would soon fade away.  _I’m sorry, brother,_ Blake thought.  _I really wish it could be different.  But you couldn’t let go.  Now you’ll pay for your greed and your arrogance with your life, and maybe mine, too.  Maybe all of our lives._

            The presence of the remaining half of the entity waited, hungry, watching for a chance to move into Blake.  Blake withdrew, and gently let Unum down to rest on the bed.  Then he turned to the medical team.  "Let's get him out of here, move him back to his old quarters," he directed.  "We'll need to install a new door."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun loved this chapter!


	42. Property Laws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Company's lawyers fight to retain their rights over their operatives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fat lady is backstage warming up! Should only be a couple more chapters after this!
> 
> Translations:  
> Enchanté - Pleased to meet you  
> Ce ñ'est rien - It's nothing

            Blake’s hand traced its way up Adam’s throat, turning his face to meet his kiss.  His other arm was tight around the smaller man, pulling him close in the bed to meet his thrusts as they lay on their sides.  The bed was a mess, Adam’s wild thrashing sending most of the sheets and blankets on the floor.  The pillow went to join it now as Adam thrashed again, climaxing along with Blake.  But then Adam gave a small cry, and a jolt of fear shot through their empathic loop, chasing after Blake’s pleasure.  “Shit!  _Fuck!_   Dammit, I’m sorry, Adam!”

            “It’s ok.”  Adam reached back, caressed Blake’s face.  “It’s my fault, really.  Every time, I freak, even though I want this, want to be with you, and I know you’ll never hurt me.”

            “That’s the problem,” Blake growled.  He let go of Adam and rolled back, glaring at the ceiling in frustration.  “You’re panicking because I _am_ hurting you!”

            “You’re not.  You’re just squeezing me too tight.”  Adam turned over, snuggled in under Blake’s arm, and kissed him.  “It’s going to take time, that’s all.  You’ll learn to control your strength, and I’ll learn to stop with the stupid panic attacks.”

            “They’re not stupid,” Blake said.  “You went through hell, baby.  After everything Breaker did to you, you’re entitled to freak out a little bit when you’re having sex and suddenly you’re getting crushed!”

            Adam sighed.  “It’s not that bad.”

            “You’ve got bruises.  It’s that bad.”

            “I’m not made out of glass, Blake!  I’m Shard.  I’m fine.”  He flicked Blake’s nose.  “Don’t think you’re getting away with anything, cowboy.  You’re not getting out of making love to me on the grounds you might squeeze me too tight!”

            “Damned sex fiend!”  Blake kissed him, trying to project nothing but the love he felt.  But he couldn’t help his concern.  Blake tended to hold on tight to his lover when he climaxed, and the first time he’d made love to Adam since he’d taken on Duo, he’d left bruises on Adam’s hips.  After that, he’d been reluctant to touch him again.  But Adam was persistent, and a terrible tease.  The fact that he was now feeling the effects of his integration’s interest in Duo combined with his own feelings for Blake meant he’d been dogging Blake since he’d returned from Unum with only one thing on his mind.  This had been the second time Adam had seduced him in only a couple of hours.  It was starting to concern Blake, especially when Adam was too willing to blame himself for the problems they were having.

            Blake rose up and looked closely at Adam’s abdomen, frowning at the red marks where his arm had clamped down tight.  The bruises on his hips were nearly gone, but they were still visible, an ugly reminder that Blake had a lot to learn about his own body.  Then he lifted Adam’s chin, but Adam swatted his hand away.  “You didn’t choke me, dammit, just squeezed me around the middle and at my jaw a bit.  I’m fine!  Stop worrying!”

            “May as well tell the sun to stop shining.”  He sighed, noticing the bruises forming at Adam’s jaw.  He supposed it was better than choking him, but guilt churned in his stomach.  Still, he knew Adam was right.He hadn’t seriously hurt his lover, and he certainly had no intention of it.  It would take time. 

            Blake sat up, admiring the view as the empath stood, and gave Adam a gentle swat on the bottom.  Adam responded by gunning the pillow on the floor into Blake’s face.  Laughing, the two straightened out the bed, cleaned up, and got dressed.  Adam, hyper as always, shot ahead and quickly ducked into one of the rooms.  Blake followed.  He took a moment to again reflect on the cruelty of assigning the psionics individual rooms when they wanted so desperately to be together, in their group hug in the beanbag.  Hopefully, it was unintentional.  Adam had confessed that, if their doors were left unlocked, and they usually were, he and Gareth would always sneak out to join Matt in the beanbag.  Now, they started out there.

            Of course, Uno’s trio had its own beanbag.  Elton had been working with Hardwire, Gareth and Matt to discover their names, and Elton had already reported they’d been successful.  All three members of the new trio now had their human elements in charge.  According to Elton, the new trio was stable and all three members were recovering well.

            So why was there so much yelling coming from the room?

            Blake burst into a run and came in to see Gareth and Matt dragging a struggling, cursing Adam off of Uno.  Judging by the state of the French telepath, Adam had been attempting, with a fair degree of success, to rearrange his face.  Murray was scowling furiously at Adam, standing between him and Uno, while Dos only shook her head as she worked to heal Uno.  “Completely unacceptable!” Murray was exclaiming.  “Attacking my telepath, how dare you!  Elton, you should put him on report!”

            “It’s nothing I didn’t have coming, Melissa,” Uno called, dabbing blood off of his face.

            “You’re damned right, you son of a bitch!” Adam roared, still struggling with his brothers.  “You’ve got a hell of a lot more coming!  Let go of me, dammit!”

            “Adam?” Matt began.

            “I’m going to fucking kill him, Matt!  After what he did to Gareth, the way he hurt our baby brother?  Let me go!”

            “Adam, I swear I will make you believe you’re a pussycat if you do not settle down right now,” Gareth warned.  “I’ll have you purring and rubbing on everyone’s ankles!  Now enough of your agro, brother.  We haven’t time for it.”

            “You know, I’d kind of like to see that,” Blake said.  “Think he’ll chase a laser pointer?”

            “Alright, I’m done,” Adam growled, still obviously unhappy.

            “Good.”  Matt set him down.  “Now, Blake, Adam?  I’d like you to meet Père.”

            “Enchanté.  My name is actually Kermit Colin.”

            Elton, who had watched the entire scene unfold with amusement from the corner, suddenly sat up.  “Your name is Kermit?”

            “Yes, it was the name of my mother’s grandfather,” Kermit explained proudly.  “She was born in Ireland, and it’s been the name of the firstborn male of each generation in her family for ages.”

            “Seriously?  Your name is Kermit?”  Elton was staring at him like he’d just sprouted a second head.  “Your name is Kermit, and you’re from France?”

            “Oh, Elton, you asshole!” Matt groaned, fighting to stop laughing.

            “Seriously, Elton!” Blake agreed, also trying hard not to laugh.  “That’s just not cool.”

            “No, but it’s funny as hell,” Elton offered.

            Kermit frowned at him, confused.  “Am I missing something?”

            “Never mind, you’ll see it on Sesame Street News.”

            This time Blake and Matt couldn’t help but laugh.  Both apologized immediately to Kermit, who scowled at Elton, obviously reading their minds.  “You are really not a nice man, Mr. Elton.  But never mind, laugh as you wish.”  He indicated Duo.  “This is my sister, Sœur.”

            “Enchanté.  My given name is Lewa Okeke.  Are you going to joke about it, Mr. Elton?”

            “Nope!  I don't mess with people who can bend me into anatomically impossible positions.  I’ll stick to Rainbow Connection over there.”

            “You’re a bastard, John.”

            “And that,” Elton declared, indicating Murray, “is Mother.  As I think we all know, her name is Melissa Murray.”

            “Kermit, Lewa, Melissa, welcome,” Blake said.  “Glad to see you’re all back in charge.”

            “And doing much better!”  Matt was smiling fondly at Lewa.  “Pretty soon, they’ll all be good as new.”

            “Mr. Shelton, I wanted to thank you, and Melissa, for doing what you did,” Kermit said humbly.  “I know Lewa was dying, and I’ve no doubt I would have followed.  And Adam, once again, I’m very sorry for what I did to you and your brothers.  I don’t really understand what was going through my head.”

            “Combination of desperation, your integration, and an unstable bond with an unstable empath,” Elton offered.  He saw Gareth looking at him and cringed.  “Sorry, kid, but it’s the truth.”

            Gareth looked at him a moment longer.  Then he turned his attention to Kermit.  “We’ve need of your assistance, brother,” he began.  “You were a lawyer?”

            “Far as I am concerned, I am still a lawyer,” Kermit declared.  “I was about to be promoted to the head of our, do you understand pro bono?  Yes, our pro bono section of our firm.  I worked with the disadvantaged, especially battered wives looking to divorce their husbands.  With my, shall we say, talent?  It wasn’t possible to lie to me.  So I naturally did very well.”

            “So that’s why Breaker took you,” Blake sighed.  “He always did try to take people at their best.”

            “The promotion was good, yes,” Kermit corrected.  “But that was not the point where I was taken.  You do not speak the language, Mr. Shelton, so you don’t know that the name I chose when I was integrated means ‘Father.’  You see, that night, my wife went into labor.  I was driving to the hospital when he forced me off the road, dragged me out, and took me away.”  He shrugged.  “I have never seen my baby.  If my skills as a lawyer can be of assistance in securing our freedom?  Yes, by all means, I will assist.”

            Blake sat down.  “I can’t believe…  I knew he was a monster, but holy fuck!”

            “I did not know that, either,” Adam confessed, plopping down next to Blake.  “Lewa, your name means ‘Sister.’”

            “I have an identical twin,” Lewa confessed.  “I know the Shard taint is genetic, and I know she has the same abilities as I.  When I was taken, my one comfort was that it was me rather than her.  But that is how he broke me in only three days, because he said if I did not give in, he would simply go for her.”  She paused.  “Gareth and I are similar.  When I was taken, I was on my way to my sister’s wedding.  I never saw her on her happiest day.”

            “It’s all behind you now,” Matt announced.  “Elton, you said the board was willing to negotiate?”

            “Their lawyers will be connecting with us in the board room in three hours,” Elton confirmed.  “The board members will be listening in.  Kermit, I know it’s not much time…”

            “Ce ñ'est rien!”  Kermit waved his hand.  “Tell me what you have so far, brothers, and I will take it from there.”

****

            Kermit spent about half an hour going over what they’d already put together.  Then he spent the next two and a half hours conferring with the legal team the producers of “The Voice” had put together.  By the time Blake arrived, the lawyers for the Company’s board of directors had joined them on the video conference.  The lawyers were all ready for battle.

            Blake expected the meeting to be more like something he’d seen on “Law and Order.”  But it really wasn’t very entertaining at all.  If anything, it was infuriating.  Kermit, who Blake was expecting to act as lead counsel, simply sat quietly next to Blake.  And the lawyer who did do the speaking never mentioned human rights.  The Company’s lawyers went on for an endless amount of time, going over the mental and physical changes that the psionics went through when they were integrated, dragging out exhibits of DNA profiles, scans, and EKG readings, all in an attempt to prove that none of them could be considered human.  It disgusted Blake that they did this with Kermit right there in the room, listening silently as they argued away his basic humanity.  And to Blake’s surprise and disgust, the lawyer for his side agreed!  Rather than argue about the abuse of power the Company had exhibited to control the psionics, their lawyer instead focused exclusively on property laws.  Suddenly, he was glad that it was only him, Kermit, and Elton in the room.  Adam and Matt would have gone ballistic.  Blake was getting there himself.

            _“We’re not human anymore,”_ Kermit explained to Blake, obviously seeing his rising anger.  _“Therefore, we have no more rights than animals.  They had no ground to stand on if we had human rights, so we expected them to take this route.  And of course, they’re not wrong.  As far as the law is concerned, we’re property, and those are the only laws that apply here.  You were on the right track, though.  As we cannot be controlled, we are a company liability.  And so now we fight nasty, my friend.”_

            “With the exception of Shard Seven and Shard Tres, every one of the integrated psionic operatives was integrated by the entity known as Duo, in the host body of the man called ‘Breaker,’” their lawyer declared.  “That entity now resides in the body of Blake Shelton, who is with us here today.  When Breaker integrated them, the human was effectively destroyed, leaving the integrated psionics.  That is why, with the exception of Adam Levine, your company had them all declared legally dead.  Therefore, they were Breaker’s property.  And when Mr. Shelton took on the Duo entity after Breaker’s death, all of said property was therefore transferred to Mr. Shelton.  As Duo, he integrated Melissa Murray himself, creating Shard Tres.  She belonged exclusively to him from that point forward.”

            “Then the Company asserts its claim to Shard Seven,” the Company lawyer announced.

            Blake stiffened, but Kermit squeezed his hand.  _“We expected this.  Trust us.”_

            “Shard Seven was created using a combination of the Unum and Duo elements of Shard,” their lawyer countered.  “Therefore, he is the joint property of Unum and Duo.  As we previously stated, Duo now resides in the body of Mr. Shelton.”

            “The Duo element of Shard is not human,” the Company lawyer argued.  “Unum can claim Shard Seven, but he is currently in a persistent vegetative state.  As Shard Seven was created using Company property, the Company again asserts its claim!”

            “Duo also has submitted an application for marriage, which we have included in the information we sent.  We strongly suggest you approve it.  The marriage will immediately take place, and then, as his spouse, there can be no question that Shard Seven is the personal property of Duo.”

            Blake clenched his fists and sternly reminded himself that this was necessary.  It was killing him to hear these arguments, that Adam and the others were his _property_ , like they were anything other than actual people!  But the lawyers had already agreed that none of them qualified as human.  Legal interpretation was remarkably capable of ignoring what was clear to anyone with eyes.  He hated this, but it was necessary.  And of course, Kermit was right here, looking every bit the lawyer he was, yet remaining silent and calm.  If Kermit could sit quietly beside him and listen to his peers discussing him as property, well, how could Blake do any different?

            “The Company’s position is that the marriage cannot be granted on the grounds that Shard Seven is not human,” the Company lawyer was saying.

            “Your Company granted that permission to Unum, and the wedding very nearly took place!  Please provide another, valid reason to say no, or else yield the position and grant permission.”

            There was a conference among the Company lawyers.  Hardwire, either bored by the proceedings or as irritated as Blake, chose to replace the image of the Company lawyers on the screen with images of Hyper-Chicken, the blue chicken lawyer from “Futurama.”  Blake snickered in appreciation.

            Then the lawyers were back, and once again their faces were on the screen.  Blake was already tired of seeing them.  “The Company will agree to allow the marriage.  However, as their DNA has been altered by their exposure to Shard, neither Duo nor former Operations Project Leader Elton can be considered human.  Therefore, the Company claims them both as Company assets, and all they possess as well.”

            Once again, Blake stiffened, ready to explode.  He saw Elton suck in his breath.  But once more Kermit squeezed his hand and shook his head.  _“We knew this was coming, as well.”_

            “Those fuckers will never own me,” Elton said quietly under his breath.  “That is not what I signed up for!  Look, I know you two are chatting, how about including me, before I explode?”

            “You got it.”  Blake reached over and took his hand.

            _“Thanks.  Just so you know, just because we’re holding hands?  This doesn’t mean we’re going steady.”_

            _“You’re an idiot, Elton.”_

_“I agree,”_ Kermit added.

            _“I forgive you, Kermit.  It’s not easy being green.”_

            Kermit sent a purely mental insult that made the eyebrows rise on both Blake and Elton.

            “I would like to direct your attention to Company internal policy number 287, page two paragraph three,” their lawyer said.  “It states that all non-psionics who are exposed to Shard for the purpose of providing leadership on LB1 shall retain all rights, privileges, property, seniority, and bargaining power as they had prior to their exposure, including equal consideration for promotions and raises.  This is the Company, in its own policy, granting the non-psionic enhanced leaders human rights.  And while we’re on the subject, we demand that John Elton be immediately reinstated in his position as Operations Project Leader.”

            “He violated Company policy!”

            “He did not!  The policy you are referring to is Company internal policy number 245, which explicitly states that all available resources must be utilized to contain integrated psionics in the event of a revolt.  But they didn’t revolt.  They were following the direction of their owner, who we have established is Duo.”

            “At the time, he was Blake Shelton, not Duo!”

            “At the time, he was showing obvious physical signs of changing into Duo.  For example, his eyes had changed from blue to aquamarine.  The psionics could sense what he was becoming, and they responded appropriately.  What happened on LB1 was not a revolt, it was a power struggle between Duo and Unum.”

            “A power struggle in which human lives were lost!”

            “Please direct your attention to the internal Company memo labeled Exhibit 17.  I will do you the favor of reading it to you.  ‘Per Shard Project Leader Unum at LB1, the Duo element of Shard has been successfully implanted into Subject Blake Shelton.  Based on the latest medical scans, Shard Project Leader Unum’s deterioration has slowed since, but has not stopped.  Our medical staff estimates he has, at most, three or four months before he reaches complete organ shutdown.  Therefore, Shard Project Leader Unum has been directed to immediately begin the onboarding process so that all Shard activity might immediately begin to be directed through Shard Duo.  This will better prepare the host for full duty as Father upon the death of Shard Project Leader Unum.’  Then we have internal Company memo labeled Exhibit 18, which predates the one I just read.  It reads, ‘Subject Blake Shelton has been successfully obtained.  He has been granted security level gamma and on-site Project Leaders have been directed to begin orienting him for his new role as Shard Project Leader.  Please update security protocols accordingly.’  The bottom line is, you were already transferring control to Blake Shelton in anticipation of his becoming Duo and then Father.  He already was being oriented to a position that outranked Unum according to your own memos!  So the real revolt was Unum, trying to maintain control he’d already lost and revolting against Duo.  The question then becomes why did the Company send reinforcements, and lose human lives, to support this usurper?”

            _“Oooo, nice one,”_ Blake sent as the Company lawyers once again went off-camera to confer among themselves.

            Elton was beaming with pride.  _“That’s my boy!  Hacked into the Company mainframe and went through all their internal memos and e-mails, looking for anything that might help.  And Kermit jumped right off of his lily pad when he saw that one!”_

            _“Still funny,”_ Kermit replied, glaring at Elton as Blake tried to hide his snicker.  _“I’m almost sorry we’re trying to get your job back.  But don’t celebrate yet.  There is one point that we’re weak on.”_

            “The Company agrees,” the Company lawyer declared, returning to the screen.  “John Elton shall be immediately reinstated as Operations Project Leader, while Dr. Stephen Bradley will continue in his role as Data Project Leader, as that position became vacant when Dr. Melissa Murray became Shard Tres.”

            _“Asshole,”_ Elton muttered telepathically.  _“He’ll do whatever Melissa says anyway, or I’ll bust his skull.”_

            _“Wow, Elton still loves Murray!”_ Blake sent Kermit privately.  _“I did not realize that until now.”_

            Kermit looked at Elton with interest.  Of course that would interest him, Blake thought.  He was a telepath in a trio where the other two members were both chasing after the same man.  Elton’s lingering affection could provide a much-needed alternative.  _“Do you suppose I might be able to chat with Adam later?”_

_“Empaths can’t affect other empaths, buddy.”_

            Kermit looked disappointed.

            “The Company would like to present this signed form, labeled Exhibit 19,” the Company lawyer was saying.  “This is a living will, signed by Unum.  It states that, in the event he is diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state, he does not want artificial ventilation, hydration, or nutrition.  As he has been diagnosed in exactly this state by one of your psionics with medical background, the Company’s position is that the wishes specified by its employee be carried out.”

            Kermit never lost his poker face, but Blake could sense a sudden peak in his anxiety.  Elton looked up sharply, and Blake felt himself tensing as well.  Matt had already told them that Unum would need a feeding tube to keep him alive long enough for Blake to be able to take on Father.  But this, obviously, was what Kermit felt their side was weak on.

            “While we understand and respect the patient’s wishes, there are wider considerations here,” their lawyer replied.  “If it was only the life of the patient, there would be no question, and he would be permitted his right to a natural death.  However, Unum currently is host to half of the Shard entity.  Upon his death, all available data suggests that the entire entity would move to Duo.  At present, Duo isn’t capable of permanently serving as host to the full Shard entity.  We believe that this would likely result in his being completely overwhelmed by the entity, and his human element destroyed completely!”

            “At such time, the Company wishes to assert its claim on the host and the entity, and all current and future property of the host.”

            “Is it the position of the Company that Duo, who we have established has the rights and privileges of a human being, is to be sacrificed so that the Company can claim his body as host to the Shard entity?  For all we know, the Shard entity moving into his body before it has completed its transformation could kill Duo!”

            “No need for dramatics, counselor.  Duo himself caused the current state of Unum during their power struggle.  The Company had no control over that incident, nor does it have any control over Unum’s condition and continued deterioration.  It is our position that our employee made his wishes known prior to the incident, and was very clear about his wishes while he remains in this condition.  While Duo’s fate is unfortunate, his rights do not supersede those of Unum.”

            That started a long, windy debate.  Blake’s head throbbed.  Kermit had apparently seen this coming, but neither Blake nor Elton had considered that Unum may have had a living will.  The two men exchanged concerned looks.  Without a feeding tube, Unum would certainly die, and that meant that Father would move into Blake.  When Blake had integrated Uno’s trio, he’d barely touched Father, and the entity had been almost overwhelming.  As he’d never pulled all of the entity from Unum, it hadn’t been hard to shunt Unum’s portion back into his body.  But if the entire entity went into Blake, Blake had no doubt that it would destroy him.

            _“Our best estimates were that Blake would have a high chance at having a significant portion of his own mind when he became Father, but those estimates assumed that his body would finish its transformation before he took Father on,”_ Elton sent anxiously.  _“Boss, you’re not ready!  If we can’t hold this off…?  Kermit, you gotta do something, buddy!”_

_“I’ve done all I can,”_ Kermit sent back bitterly.  _“I’ve given our legal team all I could give them.  Now it’s up to them.  I’m a slave, remember?  Blake's non-human property!  The board won’t listen to me, or to any of us, because we’re basically cattle.  This is the real battle.  And if they win, they win everything.  They’ll own us all!”_

            The argument, it seemed, was hitting hard on the controversy over removing life support from pregnant women.  Blake supposed that made sense.  But it was unbelievable, the way that the lawyers squabbled back and forth, neither side giving on its position.

            And then the monitors went blank for a second.  When they came back up, it was to show the lovely face of Alicia Keys.

            “My name is Alicia Keys,” she began.  “And I am standing here with Miley Cyrus, Carson Daly, and the families of all the people affected by Shard and currently trapped on Lunar Base One.  We are standing united and have all agreed on the statement I am about to read.”

            “To the Company in charge of the Shard Project?  We find your actions appalling.  You have permitted the kidnap, torture, and rape of human beings in the interest of creating your Shard trios to appease this entity.  While you may not have been directly responsible for most of them, you did little to nothing to stop it.  In fact, you directly benefited from the actions of Breaker by claiming those he successfully integrated.  Then you yourselves worked to force Adam Levine into integration against his will.  Since then, you have used these Shard trios for profit.  Now you have abducted Blake Shelton as well, and have already allowed him to be possessed by half of this Shard entity against his will.  We are here today to tell you that we will not stand for it.  We have within our possession information, files, videos, and other material that would be extremely detrimental should it be released to the general public.  There is enough to link every member of the board of directors, their financial backers, and the Project Leaders to these gross violations of human rights.  And we are all fully prepared to face prosecution and legal action as necessary once this information is released.”

            “Here are our demands.”  Alicia’s voice was clear and proud, her dark eyes fierce as she glared at the camera.  “You will immediately release all of those directly affected by Shard.  They will be brought, unharmed, to a location we will specify.  You will make no move of retribution to the being known as Hardwire.  You will allow Shard Project Leader Unum to have whatever medical care is necessary to sustain him until such time as Blake Shelton is capable of taking on the Shard entity, should that become necessary.  You will agree to these demands, or we will immediately go to the media.  We are a large group with considerable power, and our reach is international.  If this information becomes public, the outcry will likely destroy you and your Company.  You have one hour to reply.”

            Alicia’s face vanished, replaced by the wide-eyed, open-mouthed faces of the lawyers on both sides.

            “Well!” Blake called.  “I’d say we’ve got ourselves a little problem here.  Just between us, Alicia’s one tough cookie.  My advice is you listen to her.  After all, she just put in the deciding vote on the last issue on the table.  All in favor?”

            “Actually, there is one more thing,” Kermit said.  He rose, his blue eyes cold as ice as he faced the Company lawyers.  “I’m quite aware that, as non-human property with no rights, my opinion will matter very little.  That being said, I feel it’s my duty to remind you that my owner here, as well as three of my fellow cattle, will soon be expected to perform as coaches on the live tapings of ‘The Voice.’  I’m sure at least some of you have heard of the program.  It is watched by millions.  What, exactly, are you planning to tell those millions when one coach who has been on every show, one coach who was publically abducted from that very show, and two new coaches with a very large fan base of their own don’t show up on that first live show?  With all the curiosity over the new coaches, the mystery surrounding the alpha Shard trio, and the interest over Adam’s relationship with Blake, the ratings, if you happen to check, are higher than they have ever been.  If Ms. Keys and Ms. Cyrus would like a platform to expose the Company, I can think of no better.  That is all.”

            “Kermit?” Elton said as Kermit sat down.  “I love you, man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun said that the Company just wants Father "all up in Blake" so they could claim all of them. Cheered, clapped, and sang the chorus of "How Do You Like Me Now?" by Toby Keith.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7jDzeCJ9ZI


	43. Relationships Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake finally marries the man he loves. Then it's time to return to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have come to the conclusion that I will never be satisfied with this bloody chapter. So, here is the latest version. Sorry, luvs. For the record, I don't know a thing about Blake and Adam's families and have no desire to creep them enough to find out. Those pictured here are entirely the products of my imagination.
> 
> Digetic music here is "Your Guardian Angel" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqNfuf8U9yQ
> 
> "What a Wonderful World" by Sarah Brightman  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW0h0_unyTg
> 
> Non-digetic music for the end is "Leader of Men" by Nickleback  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEl7Y13lZmI

            Blake had wanted to marry Adam surrounded by family and friends.  He’d wanted roses, champagne, and catering.  But none of that was available on LB1, and he couldn’t wait until they were returned to Earth to marry Adam because he didn’t trust the Company to not try to claim him again.  Blake didn’t even have a suit, and the only one Adam possessed was the one he’d worn when Elton had tried to marry him.  He could have worn Gareth’s, but he’d also worn it at his “wedding,” and Adam wanted nothing to remind him of that.  Blake vowed that he’d give Adam a real wedding soon.  But for now, they had to settle for a piece of official Company paper, Elton officiating, the alpha and beta Shard trios to witness, the same processed food they’d eaten since they’d arrived on the base, and matching Company uniforms.

            About the only thing their wedding had going for it was location.  Not many were able to get married on the moon, after all, and when they’d cleared out space in the music room, the view of the Earth and the stars was beyond beautiful.

            But not even that could match the sparkle in Adam’s eyes.

            Adam stood with him, his hands clutched tightly in his own, and the way he looked up at Blake made nothing else matter.  Blake forgot all his regrets about their wedding and focused only on this man, this beautiful creature before him.  Looking at Adam made him feel as if it were only the two of them, and as far as Blake was concerned, that was enough.  Blake raised Adam’s hands to his lips and kissed them, never taking his eyes from him.

            The two of them had agreed that their ceremony would consist of two speeches, one from each of them.  The speeches would be a poem and then their own words.  Blake had wracked his brain and searched Hardwire’s databases for his poem before finally deciding on the most famous love poetry of all time.

            “‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away, for now the winter has past.  The rain is over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth.  The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.  The fig tree puts forth its green figs, and the vines their blossoms, and they give forth fragrance.  Rise up, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.  O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliffs, let me see your face, let me hear your voice.  For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.  Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.  I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.’”  He smiled.  “It’s from the Song of Solomon.  When I first admitted the truth about how I feel about you, I had a few people that I had once considered friends call me a hellbound sinner, tell me I’d turned my back on my religion.  But I never did.  I will never believe that loving someone is a sin, and honestly, I don’t think God does, either.  I’ve always believed that my God is a god of love, and I love you like I’ve never loved anyone else before you.  Adam, you are worth killing for, worth dying for, worth losing all I have and all I am, because baby?  That last verse I recited for you just now means the most.  I don’t care what those lawyers say, you are only my property as much as I’m yours.  And I would pay any price, travel the world, come up here to the moon, go to wherever this thing inside of me now comes from, to keep you safe.  I love you, Adam.”

            Adam smiled, squeezed Blake’s hands, and began his own speech.  “‘To love is not to possess, to own or imprison, nor to lose one's self in another.  Love is to join and separate, to walk alone and together, to find a laughing freedom that lonely isolation does not permit.  It is finally to be able to be who we really are, no longer clinging in childish dependency nor docilely living separate lives in silence.  It is to be perfectly one's self, and perfectly joined in permanent commitment to another, and to one's inner self.  Love only endures when it moves like waves, receding and returning gently or passionately, or moving lovingly like the tide in the moon's own predictable harmony.  Because finally, despite a child's scars or an adult's deepest wounds, they are openly free to be who they really are, and always secretly were in the very core of their being where true and lasting love can alone abide.’”  He paused, looked down, and then back up at Blake.  “It’s a poem by James Kavanaugh, and honestly I didn’t know what I could say that it didn’t already say.  So I’ll say this.  Blake, you saved me in every possible way, and now you’re saving me again.  But we both know, and everyone here with us today knows, that this isn’t just about keeping the Company from claiming me.  When Breaker took me, he put me through a hell I never even imagined.  But it was you that got me through it.  When I was integrated, you were the key to who I really was, your unfading, unwilting Amaranth.  Through it all, the one constant was that I love you.  And today, you’re finally mine.  Whatever happens now, even if the worst happens and I lose you to Father and we all end up integrated again, I’ll still have today.  And right now, that’s enough.  I love you, Blake.”

            Blake swallowed hard around a sudden lump in his throat.  He was startled when Elton cleared his throat.  “Gentlemen, are you ready to sign the marriage contract?”

            Blake was never more ready in his life.  He scrawled his signature, signing “Blake T. Shelton” for the last time.  Then he wrote his new name for the first.  He and Adam had debated long and hard about their names.  In the end, they’d flipped a coin.  Thus, Blake signed “Blake T. Shelton-Levine.”

            Adam signed just as eagerly.  Blake was still upset that he wasn’t permitted to sign his name and instead had to write “Shard Integrated Operative Seven” on the line.  But he wrote “Adam N. Levine” right under it.  And even though they’d been told he wasn’t allowed to use the name, he didn’t hesitate to write “Adam N. Shelton-Levine” on the line for his new chosen name.

            Fuck the Company and all the lawyers.  They both knew who they were.

            “By the power invested in me by the dickhead lawyers at the Company,” Elton declared, seeming to read their thoughts, “I now pronounce you legally married.  Now get to the kissing!”

            Blake got to the kissing.  He was careful not to hurt Adam, but still lifted the smaller man completely off of his feet as the two embraced, sharing their first kiss as a married couple to clapping and cheers.

            Their meal was the same as always, but they did manage a few exceptions to mark the special occasion.  It helped that Blake and Adam had invited all of LB1 to celebrate with them after the wedding.  Someone in Data section provided bootleg hard cider that actually wasn’t too bad.  The kitchen staff had managed to whip up a small cake.  They’d explained that their ingredients were limited, the lighter gravity made it difficult to get the amount of leavening right and the cake they’d presented was their third attempt.  There was only enough for the happy couple to share, but both were grateful.

            As Adam had declared himself incapable of choosing between his brothers, neither he nor Blake had selected a best man.  So Blake was completely surprised when Elton stood up and tapped on a glass for silence.  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “nobody asked me, but we all know I’m the best man here.  So everyone pay attention!”

            This got an assortment of amused chuckles as all eyes turned to Elton and the conversations ceased.  Seeing that he was the center of attention, Elton turned to Blake and Adam.  “Boss, Adam, you two have already gone through hell.  You’ve fought, both literally and emotionally, to be together, and somehow, against all odds, you actually managed to pull it off.  Today, we’re celebrating the fact that neither of you ever gave up on the other.  Even when things were at their worst, when Blake got his memories erased or Adam got reintegrated, deep inside you always knew that you belonged together.  And that is the real reason you made it to this point.”

            “I may not be an empath, but I can feel as well as the next guy, and I know what the two of you are feeling,” he continued.  “You two are ridiculously happy right now, yet underneath you’re both scared to death.  Because, let’s face it, no one knows what’s going to happen when Unum dies and Father passes into Blake.  We don’t even know what’s going to happen when we all get back to Earth.  There’s a chance that this may be the last really happy moment that you two get.  So, to mark the occasion, I am going to terrorize my men.  Because, ladies and gentlemen, I wrote a song that I am going to sing for the happy couple now.”

            Loud groans came from the scattered members of Operations section.  Elton, grinning, ignored them and directed the trios, who quickly cleared an area.  “If the happy couple would come forward?” he called.  “The brothers and sisters have agreed to help me out with this, so you know at least the music will be good, even if my singing sucks.  Gentlemen, this is your first dance as a married couple.  Try not to fall on your faces.”

            Blake chuckled and reached for Adam’s hand, leading him out onto the makeshift dance floor.  The trios were smiling as they took their places, manning various instruments or wielding microphones to serve as back-up vocals.  Meanwhile, Elton pulled up a stool in front of his own microphone and sat down with an acoustic guitar.  “Can he actually sing?” Blake asked Adam quietly.

            “No idea, and my brothers don’t know either,” Adam replied.  “Gareth says they didn’t even rehearse this, Elton just handed them the music and they rehearsed it together on their own.  They haven’t even heard the words except for what the back-up singers got!”

            That did not give Blake good vibes, but whatever.  Elton wanted to sing and had written a song for them, and Blake intended to let him sing it, even if he wasn’t prime material for ‘The Voice.’  Besides, this wasn’t about Elton.  This was about the beautiful man that he now pulled into his arms for their first dance as a married couple.

            The sound of the guitar came, soft and sweet, and Blake held Adam close as they began to dance, their eyes locked together.  And when Elton’s voice came, it was surprisingly tuneful.

            _“_ _When I see your smile, tears run down my face I can't replace.  But now that I'm strong I have figured out how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul and I know I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one.  I will never let you fall.  I'll stand up with you forever.  I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven!”_

            Blake’s hold tightened on Adam even as he felt Adam’s grip tighten on him.  The words touched on the deep, lingering fear they both felt for their future, not knowing what would happen when Father went into Blake.  And at the same time, as Elton repeated "It's ok," it put into words the love they had for each other, and their determination to see each other through.

            _“Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us.  Days grow longer and nights grow shorter.  I can show you I'll be the one!  I will never let you fall.  I'll stand up with you forever.  I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven 'cause you're my, you're my, my true love, my whole heart.  Please don't throw that away!  'Cause I'm here for you.  Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay!”_ And now Murray’s electric guitar joined in as Elton’s voice rose.

              _“I will never let anything hurt you,”_ Blake sent Adam.  _“I don’t care how powerful this thing is.  I won’t ever stop fighting it, and if I can’t beat it, I’ll destroy it or find some way to keep it from ever hurting you.  You can count on that!”_

_“I’ll never give up on you, Blake,”_ Adam sent back.  His eyes blazed as he reached up a hand to stroke Blake’s cheek.  _“If we can’t beat this thing, then I’ll stay with you and see it through to the end.  But I won’t give you up.  We’re together now and I will never let you go!”_

            Elton’s voice rose again.  _“Use me as you will, pull my strings just for a thrill.  And I know I'll be ok, though my skies are turning grey.  I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever!  I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven!”_

            Truer words were never spoken.  Blake kissed Adam.  _“I would die for you.”_

            _“Live for me instead, Blake.  Don’t let this thing beat you!”_

            Blake drew him closer, lifting him yet again for another kiss.  _“I won’t, baby.  I won’t.”_

            Everyone was emotional after the song, but Elton was prepared.  He signaled to the cameras, and Hardwire started playing pulsing dance music through the speakers.  Soon everyone was dancing.  Matt obligingly danced with Lewa and Murray, clearly trying to keep the peace between the sisters.  The longing Blake could feel from Elton as he watched his ex-wife hurt, but Elton wasn’t alone for long.  Apparently, he was fairly popular among the females at LB1 and hit the floor with a variety of lovely ladies.  Kermit danced with whichever member of his trio wasn’t currently with Matt.  Gareth danced alone, putting his ballet skills to good use in the lower gravity of the moon.  His graceful, leaping spins against the starry background visible through the clear walls of the music room gave the young Brit the illusion that he was flying through space.  All around were smiling faces and happy laughter.  Overall, it was probably the best night of Blake’s life.

            But the best thing about it was the lovely creature in his arms.

            Adam managed to sneak Blake out early in the celebration.  They didn’t even make it back to the bedrooms, settling instead for a storage closet before tearing each other’s clothes off.  Blake pushed his new spouse over a crate, heedless of what might be inside it as he traced his fingers down Adam’s spine.  Adam, obviously thinking ahead, handed him some foil packets of lube that made Blake laugh.  “Can’t help it,” Adam moaned.  “Need you so bad, Blake, please!”

            But this time, Blake was determined to go slow.  He worshipped the body before him, kissing Adam everywhere, drawing goosebumps as he traced his fingers over his skin.  As he tended to Adam, he put his new telepathy skills to good use, filling Adam’s mind with the most obscene, filthy images he could imagine.  Adam went wild, cursing and squirming, infuriated by the way Blake playfully held him down, not letting him get up when he desperately wanted to touch Blake.   Blake grinned, listening to Adam’s creative use of name calling as he continued to touch and caress him, teasing him shamelessly.  Blake was well aware of what a control freak Adam was, and this was just plain fun.  The sheer frustration combined with the sexual excitement and pleasure that Blake could sense Adam was feeling was incredible.  Adam was soaked in sweat and out of breath and Blake hadn't even touched him yet.  “What’s the matter, baby?” Blake whispered, leaning forward to whisper into his ear.  “Don’t like it when I take control?”

            “You son of a bitch!" Adam moaned.  "Enjoy this while you can, cowboy, because you’re about to have a very long night!”

            “I got something long for ya.”  Blake rubbed his erection between Adam’s thighs, grinning wider as the smaller man’s cursing turned into inarticulate sounds of frustration.  “Shh, baby,” he soothed.  “I know what you need.” 

            He reached down and took Adam in hand, gently squeezing and pulling.  Adam cried out, his body already shaking in pleasure from Blake’s teasing.  Blake knew he couldn’t last and he was right.  Adam cried out again, then gave a whimper and collapsed on the crate, still trembling.  Blake leaned over him again, whispering in his ear once more.  “Ah, now you’re nice and still.”

            “I fucking hate you, Blake!”

            “I love you too, baby.”  And now Blake began prepping him.  Adam whimpered again, then moaned loudly when Blake’s fingers gently caressed his prostate.  Soon enough, Blake was inside of him and once more, Adam was thrashing and cursing.  But this time, Blake was finally able to maintain his control.  Even at the peak of his pleasure, he hadn’t squeezed Adam too tightly.  And that made it even better for them both.  “I love you,” Adam panted afterwards.  “Oh Blake, I love you so much!”

            “I love you too, baby, and I always will!”

            Overall, it was the best married fuck Blake had ever had in his life.  But he knew Adam would make him pay for it.  And he was right.  Adam was insatiable that night, rousing Blake again and again, making Blake glad he had the chi element.  But all too soon, morning came.  And with it came a new set of challenges.

            Today, they would return to Earth.

****

            _“I see trees of green, red roses too.  I see them bloom for me and you.  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!  I see skies of blue and clouds of white, the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night!  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”_

            It was said that you never really appreciated something until you didn’t have it.  That seemed true for Blake now as he looked out the window of the vehicle, watching the world while Sarah Brightman sang on the radio.  The planet had never looked more lovely than it did now that he had finally returned to it.

            Next to him, Adam was silent.  His spouse pressed against Blake’s side, securely tucked under one of Blake’s arms and his own eyes watching out the window.  “It’s so easy to forget,” he said quietly.  “I’ve spent so much time on LB1, and every time I come back to Earth, I’m reminded again.”

            Seated next to Adam in the seat, Gareth remained silent.  But Blake could sense his anxiety.  It was echoed all over the van as Elton drove, he and Dr. Murray, who occupied the shotgun seat, being the only exceptions.  Even Adam was anxious.  Until now, Blake hadn’t given much thought to Adam’s family.  He knew Adam had both parents and a brother waiting for him, but he’d never met them.  Adam had never seemed particularly close to them, or at least he’d never spoken of them.  That is, not until this morning.  “I never even called them, when I was assigned guard to you,” he said quietly.  “I don’t know if I would have been permitted, but honestly, it didn’t feel right.  My brothers, their families thought they were dead because the Company had them declared dead.  They couldn’t call.  So what right did I have to call mine?”

            That had shocked Blake.  “Adam, honey, are you saying your parents didn’t know anything more about you than I did until they saw you on the show?”

            “Actually, they knew less,” Adam had sighed.  “I used privileges to send you those pictures, try to let you know where I was.  But I never contacted them.”

            Blake’s new senses had developed rapidly.  He’d frowned at what he’d sensed then.  “You have nothing at all to be ashamed about.  You didn’t ask to be integrated any more than you asked for Breaker to take you away!  But baby, your folks had to be worried sick.  You didn’t even call them when you got away from Breaker?”

            “No, I called my mom, but all I could tell her was that I was alright.  They wouldn’t let me say anything else.  All I could say was that I’d been rescued, I was ok, and she should watch the show because I was going to be on it.  So, yeah, I’ve got no idea how they’re going to react.  I guess Hardwire sent them everything, so they know.  What’s been happening to me, I mean.  They’re up to date on everything except the wedding.”  He shrugged.  “Hopefully, they’ll understand.”

            “Whatever happens, I’ll be there,” Blake had vowed.  It was a vow Blake fully intended to keep.

            He let his senses sweep over the van.  Gareth hadn’t seen his family in four years, and his thoughts were on his younger siblings, how he’d missed them growing up.  Matt was thinking about his uncle, wondering how he’d managed, if his cousins had made sure he’d taken his heart medication.  Kermit, naturally, thought of his child.  And Lewa’s thoughts were fixed on her sister.  Of all things, her biggest fear seemed to be that the two of them were no longer identical, and that this would drive a wedge between them.  Blake reached out, eased the fear and anxiety in the van, and got grateful smiles in return.

            He just wished he could do the same thing for Adam.  But as Adam snuggled in against his side, he thought maybe he could help him after all.  He pulled his husband close and kissed him, and Adam’s tension immediately lessened.  Sometimes the non-psionic help was still the best.

            Blake thought he was prepared for the throng that awaited them.  He was wrong.  As the van pulled in, he could already hear the relieved sobs and names being yelled.  Getting out of the van was going to be a problem.  As soon as the vehicle was parked, excited family members thronged it, jostling and trampling each other in an attempt to reach their loved one.  Finally, Carson stepped in, ordered everyone back, and brought out the wayward psionics one by one.

            Kermit was the last to head out before Adam and Blake, and Elton moved back to whisper to Blake.  “I gotta tell you, boss, if his wife is a heavyset blonde wearing pink, I may just die laughing!”

            Sure enough, a heavyset blonde woman in a pink dress was greeting Kermit.  But neither Elton nor Blake laughed.  For in her arms was a beautiful baby girl.  And a moment later, Elton was sniffing.  “Look at the way he looks at that baby.  Damn, boss, I don’t think I’ve ever been more ashamed of myself.”  He paused.  “Uh, Adam?  You ok, buddy?”

            “Do you sense it too, Blake?” Adam asked quietly.  His face had gone pale.  “Kermit’s baby?  She’s Shard!”

            Blake sent out his senses, but his powers would never be as refined as the integrated psionics.  Kermit, however, was quick to notice Blake’s clumsy attempt.  The telepath excused himself and darted over to the van, carrying his baby.  “What is it?” he demanded.  He looked between Adam and Dr. Murray, who was still sitting in the front seat.  “You sense Shard in my baby, don’t you?  Is she a telepath, like me?”

            Neither empath spoke, but Murray couldn’t hide her thoughts from her telepath.  All the blood drained out of Kermit’s face.  “She’s an _empath?”_ he exclaimed.  “No!”

            “Hey, it’s alright,” Blake soothed.  “Kermit, look at me, buddy, ok?  I will not, _will not_ integrate your daughter, not now and not ever.  It won’t happen, do you hear me?  I promise you, your daughter is safe.  Now go back out there and be with your wife.  Those your parents with her?  Go see them, buddy.”

            Kermit looked at Blake for a long moment.  Then he nodded and went back out to his family.

            “Lewa’s sister is a chi, but we knew that,” Dr. Murray reported when he’d left.  “And she’s due any day.  My word, is she having twins?  She’s huge!  And how many people are there in Lewa’s family?  There must be a dozen people there!”

            “That little boy with Gareth is a telepath,” Adam said.  “There’s a whole other trio out there, Blake, made up of two kids and a woman about to have a kid!”

            “I’d call that serious incentive to keep our heads on straight,” Blake declared.  “Now let’s get going.  Carson’s waving at us.”

            Adam and Blake climbed out of the van, and Adam was immediately mobbed by a sobbing older woman.  Two men, probably Adam’s father and brother, waited their turn.  But Blake suddenly found himself in a bear hug sandwich.  “Hey, mom, dad,” he called.

            “Why the hell didn’t you call, boy?” his father yelled as he embraced Blake.  “Your mother’s been worried sick!”

            “Your father was about to start heading to those addresses we got and start kicking ass!”

            Blake’s eyes popped.  “Mom!”

            “Your mother was crying every night!”

            “Your uncle hosted a prayer vigil the night before we got all that information.  It worked!”

            “I should take my belt across your ass for making everyone worry like that!”

            “That dear Miley, she’s been so wonderful!”

            “Your friend Alicia’s got the biggest set of balls I ever saw on a woman.”

            “I bet she would have called her mother!”

            “Dammit, I was on the moon!” Blake protested, squirming free.  “I wasn’t granted a high enough access to make phone calls, it takes satellites!  LB1 isn’t exactly the Hilton Grand, ok?”

            “Cut the bullshit, son!” his father demanded.  He put an arm around Blake’s mother and glared at him.  “What is this about you being possessed by some alien?  That what happened to your baby blues?”

            “Oh, that is such a long story,” Blake sighed.  “We’ll explain everything to everyone at once.  But right now I gotta tell you, I didn’t want to do it without you there, but I kind of had to.  Adam’s my husband now.”

            Blake had never discussed his relationship with Adam with his parents.  They’d known, but Blake had no idea how they’d felt about it, especially now when his mother started crying.  But his father had strolled over, grabbed Adam from behind in a bear hug, and loudly welcomed him to the family.

            Unfortunately, Adam hadn’t yet broken the news to his family.  That necessitated some fast talking.

            After that, events largely ran together.  At one point, Kermit’s wife had slapped him sharply across the face and run off crying.  But Murray had rolled her eyes, went after her, and five minutes later, the pink-clad woman was passionately kissing Matt’s uncle.

            Matt’s cousins, both with flaming red hair, simply stared, open-mouthed.  But Matt was furious.  “Dammit, Murray!” Matt yelled.  “He’s got heart trouble!”

            “Boy, I can think of worse ways to die!”  Matt’s uncle obviously appreciated it, even as Kermit’s wife blushed fiercely, ran to Kermit, and began a heartfelt apology.

            “My idiot telepath confessed to her that he’d been with Three,” Murray explained.  “She didn’t handle it well.  So I showed her how difficult it was to resist an empath’s power.  I think I just saved their marriage.”  She sided up to Matt and slid her arm around him.  “Did I earn a reward?”

            “Sister!” Lewa called sharply.  “Come here and meet my natural sister.  Her new married name is Esse Bolaji, and she’s due next week!”

            Murray pouted, blew Matt a kiss, and strutted off towards Lewa.

            Matt’s uncle was staring at him.  “Two?” he asked.  “You got two women after you, Matty?  You have them both together?”

            Matt’s face turned crimson.  “It was the only way to get them to stop fighting,” he explained weakly.

            Matt’s uncle beamed even as his cousins groaned.  “That’s my boy!”

            “Oh come on!”  Matt looked around for help and did a double-take when he noticed Elton nearby, rapidly entering data into his datapad.  “Seriously, Elton?  You’re taking notes?”

            “Back off, man,” Elton called.  “I’m a scientist.”

            Matt looked ready to punch Elton.  Fortunately, Alicia and Miley arrived.  They’d stayed back, letting the families have time with their loved ones before coming in themselves.  But Alicia had made a beeline for Blake, pouncing on him.  “Are you guys ok?  What’s happening with this ‘Father’ thing?  How do we stop it, Blake?”

            But before Blake could even begin to answer the rapid-fire questions, Miley had let out a shriek of joy, charged through the crowd, and jumped on Gareth.  The astounded Brit was nearly bowled over.  As soon as he got his balance, Miley threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

            Gareth had a mother and father, an older brother, two younger sisters and their youngest brother.  All six had identical grey eyes that went wide as they stared at the pop singer’s enthusiastic greeting of their brother.

            Gareth managed to extract himself, his face bright red.  “M-Miss Cyrus?” he called.

            “It’s Miley!  Oh One, you don’t even know how scared I was!  After everything that happened to you and your brothers, you were all trapped up on the moon?”  She choked back a sob and clung to his neck again.  “I’m just so glad you’re home safe!”

            Gareth awkwardly patted her.  “It’s Gareth, Miley.  And I’m quite alright.”

            Miley continued to cling to him and sob.  Gareth reluctantly held her, patting her awkwardly and muttering the occasional “There, there!”  But when he met Blake’s eyes, his blush increased.

            _“You know, it’s alright,”_ Blake told him, grinning.  _“You’re allowed to be attracted to her, you know.”_

_“Sod off, mate!”_

            But that was the last memory Blake had of that day that he considered good.  Almost immediately after this, the families started to do what families do best – fight.  Adam’s family was upset at Gareth for helping with his integration.  Matt’s uncle was upset with Kermit for what he’d done to try to steal Adam.  Gareth’s family was upset with Elton for experimenting with the woman he’d once been engaged to, resulting in his being shot.  Lewa’s family was upset with Matt, believing that the doctor should have done more to help her when she didn’t have an empath.  Kermit’s wife was upset with Murray for not integrating with them sooner.  Blake’s family was upset with Adam for not doing more to contact Blake and “taking so damned long” to finally tell him the truth.  And everyone was upset with Unum.  Unum sat quietly in his padded chair, usually with his eyes closed, comatose and oblivious, but that didn’t stop the families from heaping abuse on his head.

            Finally, Blake decided he’d had enough.  He put his fingers in his mouth and blew a piercing whistle that immediately silenced everyone.  “Ok, enough!” he called into the sudden silence.  “We all get it, everyone’s got reason to be mad at everyone else.”

            “I haven’t heard anyone say a word about you, boy!”

            Blake rolled his eyes.  “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Dad.  Moving on.  First, there’s no point yelling at Unum.  He is way beyond anything anyone has to say to him.  Second, has anyone else noticed how all of your loved ones call each other ‘brother’ or ‘sister?’  Well, the reason is because they’re close.  They have to be, they live in each others’ heads.  And did you happen to notice what they are not doing?  Fighting!”  Blake’s glowing green eyes were narrowed as he looked the families over.  “Trust me, I’ve seen them fight, and they’re very good at it.  But they’re not fighting now, despite all the accusations being thrown around here, because they have all forgiven each other and moved on.  I strongly suggest you do the same!”

            “Mr. Shelton?”  It was an elderly Nigerian woman, probably Lewa’s mother.  The woman came up to Blake, took his hands, and kissed the knuckles.  “Thank you so much!  You’re the reason my baby, she came back!”

            “Oui!”  Kermit’s wife suddenly embraced him.  “Merci beaucoup!”

            “Yes, thank you!”

            “Thank you so much!”

            Blake found himself hugged, his hand shaken, his cheek kissed, and his back patted, being thanked over and over again by grateful and sometimes tearful family members.  It was overwhelming.  He nodded, managed a smile, and as quickly as he could, he headed for the safety of his hotel room.


	44. Hard Lemonade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Carson have a heart to heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Checked through the tags, updated some, and put up the final chapter count of 46. This will be finished this weekend, enjoy!

            Blake splashed cool water over his face, looked into the mirror, and stared hard into his own glowing eyes.  He looked shellshocked, and felt it, too.  The gratitude being expressed by those families was humbling enough, but combined with his empathy, it was overwhelming.  The problem was that it seemed misplaced.  All Blake had ever tried to do was to get Adam back.  In the process, he’d come to care deeply about his brothers, as well.  Then somewhere along the way, he’d collected a whole other trio and a certifiably insane former special ops soldier.  Now all seven were looking to him, and apparently their families were falling in line behind them.  What qualifications did he have to lead anyone?  He was a hillbilly country singer!

            When the knock came at his door, Blake grimaced.  He peeked out, expecting to see his parents.  But it was Carson.  Blake opened the door and welcomed the host in.  “Hey, buddy!”

            Carson embraced him fondly for a long moment before taking a seat.  Blake noted he was carrying a small cardboard case containing three bottles.  Carson offered one of the bottles to Blake.  “Hard lemonade?”

            “I see you already drank one,” Blake said, accepting the bottle.

            “You got it.”  Carson pulled one of the remaining bottles from the case, popped the lid, and took a long drink.  “You should also know, this is my second case of this.  And I’ve hit the minibar in my room pretty hard, too.  The truth is, I’m shitfaced drunk right now, Blake, and still feel way too sober.”

            Blake casually took a drink.  “A lot to handle, huh?”

            “You know, before this season started, my biggest concern was how we were going to keep the show on the air, after last season’s ratings disaster.  Then I found out who our forth coach was going to be, and thought my problems were over.  That changed the first day filming the blinds.  I knew then that there were going to be some challenges, but things went surprisingly well.  You know One and Five have their own fan base?  There’s a huge stack of fan mail waiting for them!”

            Blake chuckled.  “Can’t say I’m surprised.  They’re both good-looking guys, and they turned out to be decent coaches.  But you should know, they’re going by Gareth and Matt now.”

            “And that brings me to the next issue.”  Carson took another drink.  “The day Interpol came knocking on my door with the local police and the FBI, wanting to know where to find those three.  That’s when I got my first real taste of just how big this whole mess really is.  It was bad enough when Breaker took Adam.  But he took so many people, from all over the world!  Those five, they’re the only ones left alive?”

            “Yeah.”  Blake stared at the bottle in his hand.  “There were two more, but one killed herself, and I killed the other.”

            “I know.  This Hardwire person, he sent us reports of everything that went on since the last show.  And that brings me to my next issue.”  Carson took yet another drink.  “One day, I woke up and my inbox was full of things that just could not be real.  A creature from another planet or dimension.  Human beings with superhuman powers.  A base on the moon!  Blake, Adam can sense and influence emotions?”

            “Yup.  He could only influence them after he was integrated, but he could always sense them.”

            “Integrated.”  Carson’s voice was flat.  “This creature can link human minds together to create supersoldiers.  And the three guys in my forth chair were the first trio that got completely linked together?”

            “First one that was stable and lasted, yeah.”

            “And now One, sorry, Gareth, he can read and control minds, and Matt can heal and is super strong?”

            “Yup.”  Blake took a drink, knowing what was coming.

            “And now you’ve got part of this thing that caused all of this inside of you, this Duo,” Carson said.  “And that makes you…?”

            “All of the above,” Blake confirmed.  “Empathy, telepathy, and chi.  I got the works.  Gotta tell you, buddy, it’s not as much fun as advertised.”

            “And that’s why your eyes glow all the time, because this thing’s inside of you?”

            “Apparently.  Same thing with Unum.  Elton and Murray were exposed to it enough to alter them, giving him chi powers and Murray empathy.  For whatever reason, that made them have the same kind of eyes.  But the psionics' only light up when they use their powers.”

            “Psionics with powers.”  Carson finished his bottle and reached for the last one.  “Blake, if you had told me all this a week ago, I would have laughed in your face and sent you for a drug screen.  Now I’ve got a coach that’s been legally dead for four years who can read minds sitting in my last chair.  Blake, I have had my entire world turned upside-down.  Everything I believed I now have to question.  And things that I never thought possible are sitting across from me in a hotel room, drinking hard lemonade.”

            “It’s no better when you’re looking at it in a mirror!" Blake retorted.  "This isn’t easy for me either, buddy.  Especially now.  I’ve got this thing inside of me, and even though I’m pretty much in charge, the truth is, I’m not nearly as in charge as I’d like to be, or as I let people believe I am.  You want a for instance?  On the ride here, I happened to notice this big blue mailbox on a street corner.  And the next thing I know, I’m remembering things about those mailboxes, thinking about how I’ve used them in the past, that sort of thing.  I know it’s this thing in me, Duo, going through my memories to understand something it’s not familiar with.  Apparently, Breaker never used a mailbox after he took it on, so it didn’t understand it.  So it used me like a walking encyclopedia to learn about it!  Things like that happen all the time.  And then there’s the thinking.  Unum always used to refer to the psionics as ‘my Seven’ or ‘my Five’ or whoever, he always spoke of them like they were possessions.  The damned Company feels the same way, and legally I apparently _own_ all six of ‘em!  But you know what’s worse, Carson?  Over and over, I find myself thinking that same way.  ‘My Adam,’ or worse, ‘my empath.’  Because that’s how this thing thinks, buddy.  Unum told me that the psionics were worker bees, and we were the royalty that they worked for.  I understand where that came from now.  I understand so damned much about that bastard that it’s hard for me to really blame him now for what he did.  Isn’t that something?  You know he carried that thing for almost six years?  How much of the human was even left?  In the end there, he was way more a slave to the entity than the psionics ever were.  And Breaker had Duo for nearly five years, and I gotta tell you, I’m even starting to understand him!”

            “Ok, Blake, now you’re starting to worry me.”

            “You should be, buddy,” Blake sighed.  “I have some of that bastard’s memories.  I can remember some of the things he did to those people he kidnapped, and worse, I remember myself doing them!  For instance, I remember that when he carried Adam out that day, he jumped into the back of a truck, him and his men, drove a little bit, and then changed trucks.  Then after a bit more, they changed trucks again!  That’s why they couldn’t be traced, Carson.  And I remember carrying Adam by the rope on his arms and on his ankles, feeling amused when he struggled and yelled at me to let him go.  Amused!”  He shook his head in disgust.  “But even though the memories disgust and repel me, I get his motivation.  He was driven, Carson.  It’s like OCD.  He went after those people because he felt like he had to create trios, like he had to eat or breathe!  And I understand it now.  The trios are, in a way, a food source.  They provide energy to keep this thing going, and the batteries they were running on, the shards, were running low.  That’s why Breaker was so bold, why he did whatever it took to make trios.  Doesn’t excuse it, so stop looking at me like that.  But I get it.”

            Carson looked down at the bottle in his hand.  “There is just not enough alcohol in the world to deal with this.  Alright, this is my last bottle and then I’ll sober up.”  He took another long drink, noted Blake did the same, and eyed the larger man.  “Blake?  What are you going to do?”

            “Finish the show, hopefully,” Blake replied.  “Matt thinks that Unum should last at least that long, but beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.  Murray thinks that it will take about that long for my body to finish changing, too.  Meanwhile, she and Elton have both warned me that Duo’s going to get stronger.  That scares the hell out of me, buddy.  Adam’s my rock, keeps me going.  The others help, too, and now that I’ve seen all those families, well, I’ve got more motivation than ever to stay me.  But I’ve felt Father, the entire entity, when I had to integrate Murray into Kermit’s trio.  It’s overwhelming, Carson, and I only took on a small portion!”

            “So what are you going to do?” Carson asked again.  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

            Blake nodded.  “Yeah, there is.  Carson, Murray worked with some scientist types at the Company to set up another teleportation pad.  Linking two pads together was the only way that we could get off LB1 without Unum, because I sure as hell couldn’t figure out how he teleports around.  Do you think you could work with the company and have that second pad moved to the studio?”

            Carson blinked.  “The studio?  You mean for the show?”    

            “Yeah.  Something backstage, but easily accessible.”

            “I could, but I’d like to know what the hell for?”

            “Because when I take on Father, I want you to send me to LB1,” Blake told him.  “Get me the fuck off of the planet.  Then shut down the pad so I can’t get back.  Have Elton blow the damned thing up, he loves that kind of thing anyway.”

            Carson blinked at him.  “You want me to trap you on LB1?”

            “Yes,” Blake said bluntly.  “If I kill this thing by killing myself, I kill seven other people.  Now that I’ve seen them with their families, I can’t do that.  They all need Father to survive, so that means I gotta find a way to live with it, even if it overwhelms me.  And the only thing I can think to do is trap the fucker.  What better place than the moon?”

            “I am way too drunk for this!”

            “You could even use those pads drunk,” Blake urged.  “Murray’s design has a completely electronic user interface.  That means you don’t need Shard power to run those pads, so you or anyone else can use them.  But I need you to get me off the planet, Carson.  If Father takes off, think about where we are!  He’ll be right smack dab in the middle of downtown LA, a city of damned near four million people for Father to start converting and integrating.  That cannot happen, Carson.  Do you hear me?”

            Carson nodded, looking miserable.  “I hear you, buddy.  I just need some time to process this.  You’re asking me to swallow something here that’s way harder than this lemonade!  I consider you one of my closest friends, and you’re asking me to basically give you a life sentence, trapped with this thing on the moon.”

            “You gotta promise me, Carson!” Blake pressed.  “I’ll take that life sentence if it means Adam lives a free life.  The rest of them are six more reasons to do this.  Think of it as a last request if you have to, but I’m looking at the fight of my life here.  I can’t wrestle with this thing in the middle of a crowded city!  I need to be away from people and the trios and even Elton, so it’s just me and Father.  If there’s any chance I can beat the fucker, it’s gotta be like that.  Now, I’ve already spoken with the Company, and they’ve agreed to transport the pad, show you how to operate it, and then show you how to shut it down once I’m through.  And they’re already making plans to evacuate LB1.  Hardwire’s going to be hard to move, but Elton’s working on it.”

            “So, you planned this, and started the gears moving, before you even spoke to me?”

            “I have been thinking about it for a while now, buddy,” Blake confessed.  “Not telling you has been the least of my sins.  I’m letting down the man I love, I’ve been shielding my thoughts from the telepaths, and I lied through my teeth to Elton and Murray.  I told them I wanted to move Hardwire so the Company couldn’t decide to abandon him.  No one knows what I really plan to do except you, Carson.  You’re the only one who can help me, and you gotta keep it from the telepaths.”

            “Blake, how in the hell am I supposed to do that?”

            “Just try not to think about it,” Blake advised.  “And do this.”

            Carson’s eyes went very wide.  He gasped, swayed, and nearly fell out of his chair before Blake jumped up to steady him.  “Dammit, Blake!” he gasped.  “Warn me next time!”

            “Sorry.  But now you see why I’m concerned?  Before I got Duo shoved up my ass I never would have just jumped into your head to show you how to wall off your thoughts without talking to you first, even if I did have the ability!  You ok, buddy?”

            “Yeah.  And I got it, by the way.  Can you read anything from me now?”

            Blake smiled.  “You’re a blank slate, buddy!  Nice job.  I didn’t know you had Shard influence before, but it’s pretty damned strong, isn’t it?”  He blanched as Carson looked sharply up.  “Dammit!  Sorry, buddy.”

            Carson finished his lemonade, not replying.

            Blake sat back in his chair, disgusted with himself.  “You’re not psionic,” he offered.  “Your genes aren’t altered that much.  But you’re like one step away from it.  I think you’re probably at about the level Unum was before he took on half the entity.  It’s not like you can be integrated or anything.  But even if you could, I’m telling you that it’s not going to happen.  And this plan you and I are putting together is going to be the reason why!  The teleportation pads will have everything but a remote control, and should be able to lock onto me easy enough.  As long as I’m within fifty yards of it, it should be able to teleport me.  But the closer the better.  You gotta get me close to it!”

            “I assure you, I am adequately motivated.”  Carson put his empty bottles back into the cardboard case and rubbed at his face.  “I’ll do it, Blake.  It’s going to kill me, but I’ll do it.  I’ll even try to be there for Adam after it’s done, if he’ll still talk to me at that point.  Have you thought about what you’re going to stay to him?”

            “I’m not going to say a damned word.  I can’t let him know, Carson.  He’ll try to stop me, and I love him too much to fight him.  That’s why I need you.”  Blake moodily sipped his drink.  “As long as he’s safe, that’s all I care about.  Believe me, I’ve thought this through, looked at it from every angle, but I just don’t see any other option.  I gotta make sure Father can’t hurt anyone, and this is the only solution I’ve come up with.  You can bet I’ll keep working on it until the time comes, though.”

            “As will I.”  Carson got up, walked unsteadily over to Blake, and embraced him fondly.  “You’re a damned good man, Blake.  Too good for this world, no pun intended.  You don’t deserve this shit!”

            “I don’t know that anyone ‘deserves’ it, but thanks all the same.”  Blake hugged him back.  “Now go sober up, and I’ll give the Company a call.  Just keep it under wraps, alright?”

            After Carson left, Blake went back to the mirror.  He glared into his own eyes, hating the glow he saw.  “You’re not going to win this.  Do you hear me?  I will find a way to beat you.  I swear it!”

            The glow in his eyes offered no response.  But something inside of him seemed to shift, moving deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Fun didn't get to hear the last chapter before now due to work schedules (I have been reading this to him), but he tried very hard to pretend he did not like all the "mushy love stuff," to the point of Rickrolling me. Very much liked the families.
> 
> This chapter, all he said was that he'd seen something like this coming.


	45. This Is The Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and the brothers return to their big red chairs, and things come to a head with Father, with unexpected results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music is again digetic, see the end for links. The second song that is played in this chapter is what first really drew my attention to Adam Levine. As one of those freaky types who can see colors in music, I see his voice as a bright green, not quite lime. Then the guitar is a blood red with black. The smoothness of his voice combined with that scratchy guitar initially got my attention. But it was the guitar solo that really did me in. I won't spoil, see then end notes after the chapter!

            Blake and the others had already put in a long week, but no one had worked harder than Kermit.  The lawyer had been working almost around the clock, getting their story straight with the Company and then instructing everyone on what to say.  It was, Blake was fairly certain, completely illegal.  But what else could they do?  The abilities that Shard granted weren’t something that the general public would be able to handle lightly.  And if knowledge of the entity got out, it would at best cause a crisis, at worst cause a panic.  Those who knew the truth had been consulted, and everyone agreed that a certain amount of secrecy was best at this point.

            Then the Company had extended its long international reach.

            Those who were investigating were understandably frustrated.  After hearing the same story over and over, Blake didn’t need to be a telepath to know they were aware that there was some measure of collusion.  But when their home offices started encouraging them to back off, there was little they could do.

            And then there were the public interviews.

            Blake hated lying.  Over and over again, he’d smiled into the cameras and the looked the reporters in the eye and told them bold faced lies.  Terra was taking the fall for everything.  Terra, their story went, had been performing illegal genetic experiments on humans with specific genes, trying to create supersoldiers.  Breaker, working for Terra, had abducted all of them, including Unum and Elton, and had subjected them all to these experiments.  Adam, Gareth, and Matt had been brainwashed into assisting after Breaker tortured them, and the three of them had abducted Blake as part of these experiments.  By the time Terra had been brought down by an international task force that everyone was sworn to secrecy about, the genetic manipulation had resulted in permanent glowing eyes for Unum, Blake, Elton, and Murray and the occasional glow in the others.  It was caused by a marker, something injected into them that bound with those particular genes and created a harmless bioluminescence much like fireflies that identified the presence of the gene.  In the case of Unum, Blake, Elton and Murray, the bond had been so strong that their eyes were permanently altered.  In Adam’s case, he’d been injected with this marker without his knowledge or consent prior to his abduction.  When Breaker publically abducted him, it was this marker that Breaker was referencing when he demanded Adam show him what was inside of him.  Choking Adam the way he had had caused the blood vessels in Adam’s eyes to burst, creating the glow that marked him as a subject of interest for the genetic experiments.  These abductions and experiments had been going on for nearly six years, and Unum was the unfortunate Patient One.

            The whole thing was as nauseating as it was ludicrous.  But the public ate it up.  Already, there was pressure for stronger laws against genetic manipulation, and an outpouring of sympathy for Unum.  In a persistent vegetative state at the end of his life, Unum was getting more love and support than it seemed the man had ever gotten in his life.  Blake had come to learn that Unum had been a ward of the state growing up, with no family.  Matt was still serving as his doctor, but it was Blake that primarily cared for Unum now, along with the nursing staff.  Unum’s room was directly across the hall from Blake’s in the hotel.  Blake spent a great deal of time with him, usually reading to him from the paper even though he couldn’t sense any conscious thought at all from the man.  And of course, Unum was here now, in the Voice studio, seated in his chair in the audience behind Blake, tended to by his nurses.  They’d been quick to discover that if Blake moved too far from Unum without a chi present, Unum’s vitals dropped alarmingly.  All they could do now as bring him along wherever Blake went.

            But for Blake, the hardest part had been calling the families of those who hadn’t survived what Breaker had done to them.  The Company had agreed to contact them, but Blake had insisted on personally speaking with every family.  He’d felt it was the least he could do.  Of course, he couldn’t tell them the truth, sticking instead to the story they’d concocted about Terra.  And the Company had insisted that he make the calls with their legal team listening in.  But Blake didn’t care.  He could only offer his voice on the phone, but he was determined to bring closure to those families.  And that was how he’d learned that the man he’d killed was named Vihaan Chadha, and he had a wife and two young children.  He’d told her that Vihaan was another of Breaker’s victims who ultimately didn’t survive the experiments.  She would never know that he’d been taken away from his trio and had gone insane, and that Blake had shot him down.  “Was he strong when he died?” was all his sobbing wife wanted to know through the interpreter.  And Blake had thought of how the man he’d known as Four had broken through the wall in his desperate bid to reach the telepaths and replied that yes, he’d been strong.  To Cecelia Serrano’s family, Blake’s call was the second notification they’d received.  Blake hadn’t known until then that Gareth had called, told them that the experiments had left Cecelia in a nearly catatonic state almost as bad as Unum’s, and she’d recently passed away peacefully.  But they’d still appreciated Blake’s call.  “Tell Gareth to go on with his life,” they’d urged.  “We told him it’s what she would have wanted.”

            After that, Blake couldn’t wait for the distraction of the live shows.

            The live shows were a treat.  While it was difficult to lose artists from his team that he’d grown fond of, Blake always loved the energy that came along with live performances.  And the ratings, he knew, were through the roof.  The outpouring of support for his marriage to Adam did Blake a world of good.  And after their interviews and the revelations that came from them, Blake and the brothers were all but mobbed.  Blake had offers from no less than six contact lens manufacturing companies to provide him with lenses, and had been contacted by multiple eye surgeons who believed they could restore his natural eye color.  Maybe at some point he’d take someone up on it.  But for now, he was determined not to hide what he was.  In some part of his mind, he thought that when Father moved into him and he went back to LB1, it would make it easier for those he left behind, the constant reminder of what he was.

            Adam, Gareth, and Matt were back in their chairs, but this time Adam was back in the big red chair.  They were going by their given names now, a sign that the “brainwashing” they’d been under was behind them now.  To the amusement of the other coaches, Miley was back to actively pursuing a relationship with Gareth.  Gareth still didn’t seem to know quite what to make of her.  Even Alicia had joined in the conspiracy once Blake and Adam had assured her that, yes, Gareth was actually attracted to Miley.  Having finally been able to say goodbye to Cecelia, Gareth was at last able to move on.  In many ways, Blake believed that Miley was exactly what the young Brit needed.  And after a while, Gareth finally started to relax.  Right now, the two were dancing together to Billy Idol’s “Rock the Cradle of Love” during a commercial break to amuse the crowd.  Adam had wandered over with Blake, and Matt was backstage with Lewa and her trio.  Normally, Gareth would be backstage as well, spending time with Kermit.  The two telepaths had put the past behind them and genuinely liked each other, to the point they were getting teased by the others about their “bromance.”  But now, Gareth was distracted.  He and Miley had appropriated Matt’s chair and were using it as a prop, dancing in and around it to the cheers of the appreciative crowd.

            “Damn, that boy is good,” Blake commented, watching as Gareth snagged Miley and dipped her.  “Why’d he stop doing ballet and go to singing?”

            “He didn’t.  From what I understand, he always sang and danced,” Adam replied, snuggling in Blake’s lap.  “He took lessons in both since he was a kid.  But he never realized he had any real talent at singing until one day Cecelia was at the school for a performance and happened to hear him.  She introduced him to her contacts in the classical music industry and they started dating.  The rest is history.  Now he’s a double threat.  When he goes back to England, he can finish his schooling and dance, sing, or both.”

            As always, Blake felt the pang they both felt when they thought about Gareth returning to England.  “You and Matt talked to him yet, told him he’s got a place right here?”

            “What’s to say, Blake?  England is his home.  It’s where his family, his school, and his career are.  No one wants him to leave, but we have no right to ask him to stay.  He knows he’s always welcome with us, and I suspect he’s got another option, too.”

            The two smiled, watching as Miley rocked her hips, tossing her hair while Gareth danced around her and the audience enthusiastically cheered.

            “Well, at least we’ll have Matt,” Adam asked.  “You know Lewa’s family is pushing for her to marry him, move to the States, and finish school to be a physician’s assistant?  They want her to go into practice with him, and the funny thing is, Murray’s all in favor of it.”  He grimaced.  “She still expects her share of his time, though.  We’re all still trying to steer her towards Elton.  And you know, Kermit says she’s actually thought about it.  But Elton hasn’t made a move.  That dumbass just needs to tell her how he feels!  Sure, she can sense it, but nothing matters more than hearing it out loud.”  He paused.  “Of course, she’s still having trouble with you.  You swear she only broke into your room that one time?”

            Blake groaned.  “Dammit, Adam!  How many times…?”

            Adam raised his hands.  “Alright, alright!  I just needed to know she didn’t break in while I wasn’t there is all.  And I already forgave her for punching me.  Believe me, I get it.  Anymore, I just can’t keep my hands off of you, Big Country!  Even though she knows it’s her empathy talking, well, she was attracted to you before, too.”  He paused.  “It’s getting stronger, isn’t it?  Duo?”

            “I really do not want to talk about it, baby.”

            “It is.  We can all sense it.  It’s stronger in you than it ever was in Unum.”

            “Can we just enjoy ourselves and finish the show?” Blake snapped irritably.

            Adam’s eyes widened in surprise.

            Blake sighed.  “Adam, I’m sorry.  I just don’t want to talk about it.”

            “I get it.”  Adam kissed him.  “Break’s over anyway.  My brothers and I have a couple of surprises for you tonight.”

            Blake narrowed his eyes.  “What are you up to?”

            “You’ll see!”  Adam strutted back to his chair, making sure Blake had a good view of his ass as he walked.

            Blake watched him go, admiring the view.  Then he fretted, wondering what the brothers were up to this time? 

            But he didn’t have long to wait.  Soon after the break, Gareth and Matt took the stage, Gareth at the piano, Matt joining him with vocals, to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”  The way they both looked at Blake while they sang told him without a doubt that they were dedicating the song to him.

            As their voices wove together, it was all Blake could do to keep from blubbering.  He glared at Adam, but the way the empath was grinning at him made Blake realize with a sinking feeling that there was at least one more surprise in store for him.

            Of course Adam would know how little time they had left.  Matt was tending to Unum, after all, and he knew more than anyone that Unum was doing poorly.  He wouldn’t last much longer.  But Blake was ready.  LB1 was abandoned, Hardwire safely transported to Company headquarters and installed into the computer systems there.  The cyborg had even more access to data and storage than he’d had on LB1 and was delighted with his new address.  Blake had visited him just yesterday, shared his emotions and memories of his wedding with the cyborg, and felt the gratitude of the young boy for this brief yet potent glimpse of human nature.  Hardwire had been searching hard for a solution, but not even he could find a way to keep Father from taking Blake over.  But the teleportation pad was hidden in a storage closet, backstage at the studio.  Carson would come through for him.  All Blake had to do now was just hang on.  But meanwhile, he worried about what Adam had in mind.

            That came to light after the next break.

            Adam took the stage with his guitar and stepped up to the mic.  “As you all know, due to the damage inflicted on me when I was abducted, my voice was damaged,” he began.  “But recently, I’ve received some new treatments that have done wonders, and tonight, I’d like to try singing for you.”

            _“Adam wanted me to let you know that this song is his way of expressing his fears for you,”_ Gareth sent Blake.  _“He sang it after your fight in Oklahoma, and now he’s singing it again.  He hopes it never comes to pass.  But we all know you’ve been hiding something, mate.”_

            Blake stiffened, but didn’t answer or look over towards the telepath.  His eyes were on Adam as he began to play, the melody immediately familiar.  He’d heard Adam sing this song many times, but never publically.  And the high notes at the end!  What treatment was Adam referring to?

            And then he saw Lewa, smiling backstage, and understood.  Matt could heal massive wounds, bring people back from near death.  But Lewa could do fine healing.  She’d already done wonders with Adam’s voice.  But could he manage this song?

            _“I never meant to cause you any sorrow.  I never meant to cause you any pain.  I only wanted to one time to see you laughing, I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain.”_

            Adam didn’t look at Blake as he sang, but Blake could feel his pain, the fear of losing Blake that poured from Adam like a wave as he finished the chorus and moved into the next verse.

            _“I never wanted to be your weekend lover.  I only wanted to be some kind of friend.  Baby, I could never steal you from another.  It's such a shame our friendship had to end.”_

            And now Adam’s thoughts were back to that day in Oklahoma, to the pain and loss he’d felt as he’d walked away from Blake.  Blake shut his eyes and leaned back, overwhelmed as Adam went into the chorus, the final verse, and then the final chorus.  His voice was nearly back to normal, only a faint rasp betraying the injury.  But now Adam leaned into his guitar, and somehow, it was even more expressive than his voice.  The notes poured out, a rippling wave that carried along with it all that Adam had gone through, all the pain he’d suffered.  It was all coming out through the instrument, the scratching sound of the guitar like an open, bleeding wound, all his emotions pouring out into this stream of sound that required no empathic ability to sense.

            Blake had gotten lost in the song when Adam suddenly stepped to the mic and hit the high notes, pitch perfect.  The crowd went wild, and now Adam’s eyes finally met Blake’s, sharing this small triumph even as they shared Adam’s desperate unspoken plea.  _Please don’t leave me!_

            When Adam had finished the song, it was almost jarring.  Blake had been so lost in it that for a moment, he simply sat as he was, silent and still.  Then Adam had come to him for a kiss before returning to his seat, bringing Blake back to the present.  “Good job, baby,” he managed.

            Adam smiled, kissed him again, and went back to his big red chair.  He was beaming as his brothers patted him on the back.  “It’s almost completely back!” he said.  “Never thought I’d be able to sing like that again, and I gotta tell you, my throat hurts.  But that’s ok, because you got one more show, Blake, to enjoy having won one more time than I did.  After next week, we’ll be even!”

            “Oh, really?” Blake drawled.  “I got a nice green picture of Benjamin Franklin in my wallet that says this is going to be win number five for me!”

            “You’re on!”

            “Uh, excuse me?” Alicia called.  “Can Miley and I get in on this one?”

            “Sure, I’ll take your money!” Blake said charitably.

            “Forget money!  If I win, Gareth has to take me on a date!” Miley called.  “And if I lose, I’ll take him on one.”  She winked slyly at Gareth amid laughter and catcalls.

            “You’re on!” Adam, Blake and Matt called in unison.

            Gareth laughed.  “I’m detecting a bit of a trap here.”

            Miley batted her eyes at him.  “Little ol’ me?”

            “What’s wrong, Gareth?” Alicia teased.  “You afraid you’re going to lose?”

            Gareth narrowed his eyes at her while the crowd reacted.  Then he grinned wolfishly at Miley.  “Miley?  You’re on!”

****

            Elton pounded on Blake’s hotel room door.  “Boss, open up!” he called.  “I gotta talk to you.  It’s important!”

            Blake immediately opened the door and herded Elton inside.  “Elton!” he called happily.  “So glad to see you!”

            “You’re in a hell of a good mood, boss,” Elton noted.

            It was an understatement.  Blake seemed almost euphoric.  The big man practically skipped as he moved about the room, packing and humming to himself.  “Big night tonight, almost as big as when we got all the families together!  I gotta tell you, though, I think most of us will be a little relieved when they all go home.  But tonight’s the final show, and I expect to win!”

            “Your guy’s a hell of a vocalist,” Elton said.

            “He is, and we’re going to sing ‘Make No Mistake, She’s Mine’ for our duet,” Blake called.  “The brothers are doing ‘When Doves Cry’ with their girl, and that’s going to be amazing, all four voices blending together.  But I’m still going to win.”

            “Well, good for you, boss.”  Elton sat down in a chair, watching Blake as he continued to pack.  “Do you think maybe you could sit down for a moment?  We gotta talk.”

            “Sure!”  Blake perched on the edge of the bed, facing Elton.  “What’s on your mind?”

            “Unum,” Elton explained.  “He’s dying.  He’s not gonna last the night, Blake.  Chances are high he’s not going to make it through the show.”

            “Oh.  Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

            “That’s all you have to say?”  Elton cocked an eyebrow.  “Look, boss, I just came from there, ok?  I saw him.  Frankly, I’m amazed he’s still breathing at all!  But that wasn’t what got my attention.  You know, the nurses were watching for it on my orders, and they called me right away.  So would you like to talk about this?”

            Blake sighed.  “Elton, we knew this was coming.  We were prepared for it.”

            “Who’s ‘we’?  Because I know I sure as hell was not prepared for this!”  Elton leaned forward, warily watching Blake.  “Ok, I’m going to be honest with you.  I already called the Company, told them the situation here.  They told me that there were already plans in place.  I think it’s time you told me what those plans are!”

            Blake continued to smile, and now he chuckled.  “Look at you, so worried!  If I’m not, you shouldn’t be.  We knew this was going to happen, and we prepared for it.”

            “I’m worried that you’re not worried!”  Elton got to his feet.  “Ok, that does it.  I’m going to go talk to the trios, and let them know what’s going on.”

            Blake scoffed.  “Don’t bother the trios!  Elton, come back.  That’s an order!”

            “Sorry, boss, this time I’m insubordinate.  Because I really do not know exactly who it is that I’m talking to right now.”  Elton opened the door, only to have it ripped out of his hand and slammed shut.  He froze.  Blake was lousy at what he called “spoonbending,” barely managing enough telekinesis to bend an actual spoon.  At most, he could shatter a window, but he didn’t have nearly the level of control as the trios, and was nowhere near Unum’s ability.  What he’d just done was something he’d never been able to do before.  “Boss?” Elton called.  “Let me out.”

            “Elton, would you please relax?”  Blake had moved forward and now he took Elton’s arm.  “Come back inside, and let’s talk a bit.  Don’t you want to know what the plan is?”

            Elton stiffened, pulling his arm free.  “Right now, the only thing I want to do is warn the psionics!”

            “Don’t bother the psionics.  It’s you I want right now.”

            Elton blinked.  “Me?  What the hell do you want with me?”

            Blake chuckled and put an arm around Elton’s shoulders.  “I want you to do your job, Elton!  You’re my second in command, right?  Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do, and you’ve got a critical role!”

****

            Adam covered his microphone and cursed.  “I cannot believe it!” he growled.  “I really thought our girl was going to win this thing!  Now Blake’s won five times and I will never hear the end of it!”

            “We’ve got bigger problems,” Matt groaned.  “Where the hell are we going to get a hundred dollars to pay that bastard?  I swear, if he hands me a French maid outfit…!”

            Gareth didn’t say a word.  He smiled and clapped.  “Be glad for the artist, brothers.  We’ll have plenty of time to listen to Blake gloat later.”

            “You’re just happy because you have a date with Miley!” Matt accused.

            “There is also that.  Oh, what’s this?  Hiya, Elton!”

            “Dude, what is wrong with you?” Adam asked as Elton pushed his way through the crowd towards them.

            “Guys, it’s Blake,” Elton said quickly once he reached them.  “We got a problem.  Unum just died about ten minutes ago.”

            That got the attention of the brothers.  All three turned at once to regard Blake, who was grinning like a fool as he accepted his trophy and congratulations.  “He doesn’t seem any different?” Adam offered.  “He’s been stupidly happy all night, but beyond that, he hasn’t changed in the past ten minutes!”

            “Of course he hasn’t!” Elton hissed.  “That’s what you don’t understand!  I woke up in Blake’s hotel room when the nurses with Unum called me and I came straight over here.  But I’d gone to see Blake three hours before that.  That was just after I checked on Unum, when the nurses called me for the first time.  And I saw it right away.  His eyes were brown, guys!  Unum wasn’t Unum anymore because his half of the entity was already gone!  Blake doesn’t seem any different in the past ten minutes because he’s already been Father for three hours!  I know, because when I went to see Blake, he wasn’t Blake.  And he did something to me, something that knocked me out for hours.  He changed me somehow, I don’t know.  Adam, can you sense anything?”

            Adam focused, and then shook his head.  “You don’t seem any different.”

            “You do to me, mate,” Gareth said.  His face was set in a frown.  “It’s like your mind has been expanded, hollowed out.  It’s much like I did for Unum, so he could hold Father!”

            Elton grew still.  “I don’t understand why he did that to me.  But I do know one thing.  Father’s in Blake now, and he’s taken over.  And he’s in deep!  He’s already been there for three hours, and none of you even sensed the difference!  That bastard, he’s stolen Blake right out from under our noses, and we didn’t even know it!  Now what the hell are we going to do?  Father’s here, right in the middle of the city, surrounded by innocent bystanders!”

            “What’s wrong?”

            The group turned to see Carson.  The host looked serious as he regarded them.

            “Carson,” Elton began cautiously, “I don’t want you to panic, but…”

            “Unum’s dead, isn’t he?” Carson asked.  “I just saw them wheeling him out, and I knew he couldn’t be away from Blake.  But Blake doesn’t seem to be moving anytime soon.  So I knew something was wrong.”  He took a deep breath.  “Alright, is it safe to assume the worst?  This Father thing is in complete control?”

            “Seems that way.”  Gareth was eyeing Blake, who was shaking hands with his artist on the stage.  “If nothing else, Blake would have warned us.  Adam, steady on, brother!”

            Adam was fighting off a panic attack.  He wiped fiercely at his eyes.  “I had no fucking idea!  This whole time, all I could think about was how damned sexy he looked, and I didn’t even get it!”

            “Guys, Blake prepared for this,” Carson confessed.  “We need to get him backstage.  Do you think you could do that?”

            “We’ll try,” Matt offered.  “Hang on, Adam.  Blake’s still in there, ok?  Don’t give up on him yet!”

            “I will never give up on him,” Adam growled.  “Carson, whatever you’ve got in mind, I’m in.  Let’s get this fucking thing out of him!”

            Adam was alarmed at the guilt that suddenly washed over Carson.  But before he could ask about it, Blake had come over and put his arm around Adam’s shoulders.  “Hello, boys!” he called.  “Looks like I’ve won!”

            “Yeah,” Adam said bitterly.  “That’s what it looks like.”

****

            To his credit, Father was at least open about what he’d done.  He referred to Adam and his brothers as “my sons,” and Elton, oddly enough, as “my servant.”  Elton was pale faced and shaking, still suffering from the effects of whatever Father had done to his mind.  The former soldier was so wobbly that he frequently leaned on walls or objects, and sat down as often as he could.  But Adam’s attention was primarily on Father.  This creature had taken the man he loved, and Adam had no idea what to do about it.  Father’s arm was still over Adam’s shoulders.  It was difficult to remember that it wasn’t Blake.  By the wary way that Elton and his brothers watched him, it was clear to Adam that they thought he’d just been taken hostage, and when Kermit’s trio ran out, obviously alerted by Gareth, they looked at him the same way.  They were probably right.  Blake’s body was so strong now that Father was almost hurting Adam as he gripped the empath’s far shoulder, keeping him close.  Over and over again, Adam reached out, searching for any sign of Blake.  Blake was there, but he was buried deep.  Adam wondered if Gareth might be able to reach him, but Gareth was already frightened.  They all were.  Adam linked his mind with Murray’s, and the two of them worked to calm their trios.  _We can’t help Blake if we panic.  Stay calm, no matter what happens!_

            Father, for his part, held tight to Adam, but seemed far more interested in Carson.  Carson was cool about it, continuing his efforts to steer Father away from the crowd and get him backstage.  But Adam could sense his anxiety like a taunt, thrumming wire.  That meant Father could, too.  “Carson, relax!” Father called, confirming Adam’s fears.  “You know, you really are wasted here.  I can offer you so much more than this show can give you.  You can have a chance for real greatness!”

            “I’m flattered, but once again, I’m not talking about it out here,” Carson declared, his eyes constantly flicking to Adam.  “We’ll talk once we’re all backstage.”

            “You really are determined to get us backstage, aren’t you?  And you’re so worried I’ll hurt my son here!”  Father seemed amused as he gave Adam a small shake.  “I have no intention of hurting him.  But Carson, you’re hiding your thoughts from me.  That’s remarkable!  Gareth, Kermit, can you read anything from him, my sons?”

            Kermit shook his head, while Gareth looked at the floor and muttered, “No, Father.”

            Father chuckled.  “Well!  My curiosity is piqued.  Let’s go backstage.  Adam, my son, you’re crying again.  All six of you are really out of sorts, aren’t you?  Well, I’ll rectify that soon enough.”  He tightened his arm around Adam, pulling him close to his side as he started after Carson.  “Come along!”

            Once they were backstage, Carson turned to Father.  “Alright.  Before we go any further, I want you to let Adam go.”

            Father smiled.  “You really are afraid I’ll hurt him, aren’t you?  Very well.”

            As soon as he was free, Adam found himself grabbed by his brothers and shoved back, away from Father.  Adam gave a small cry, instinctively wanting to go to Blake.  But Matt’s arm held him back, even as Gareth clung to him.  “Stay, brother,” he said quietly.  “And stay strong.”

            “Come here, brother.”  Lewa wrapped her arms around Adam and nodded at Matt.  “I’ll keep him safe.”  Matt smiled at her.

            Meanwhile, Father had moved forward and was staring down at Carson, his head cocked to one side as he studied the anxious host.  “This body, it’s not nearly as powerful as my second beta host, but it is remarkable, isn’t it?  Not only the body, but the mind!  Such a clever monkey, coming up with this idea of bringing the second teleportation pad here so you could try to trap me on LB1.”  He laughed, seeing the chagrin on Carson’s face and the shock on the faces of the psionics and Elton.  “Oh, Carson, you both knew that my Duo portion was present when you made those plans!  How could you possibly expect me not to know?”  He looked at the others, his eyes locking onto Adam.  “Yes, they thought they could trap me on the moon, keep me away from the monkey population.  Those silly creatures!  And the worst part is that none of you even knows why I’m here!  Why has no one thought to ask me that?”

            “Because you’re inside of someone we love, you son of a bitch,” Carson growled.  He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.  “And guess what?  Blake did know you were there and you’d be listening.  That’s why when he told me what to do, he didn’t actually tell me.  He may look like a dumb country hick, but he’s anything but stupid!  So he showed me how to shield my mind, and then he told me what to do, how to trick you.  Remember when he said this pad would have everything but a remote control?  Guess what, asshole?”

            Adam looked, saw the runes spinning around the band of Father’s watch, and immediately tried to pull free from Lewa.  “No!  Blake!”

            Father’s glowing green eyes widened in shock.  Then he snarled and vanished.

            Lewa immediately tightened her arms around Adam as the other psionics moved to quickly surround them.  But when Father reappeared a split second later, he wasn’t near Adam, but Elton.  “Nicely done, Carson!” Father called, grabbing Elton and holding the startled, struggling Project Leader tightly against him, his activated tracer bracelet against Elton’s chest.  “You won this battle, but the war is mine!”

            And then, both Father and Elton were gone.

            “No!” Adam screamed.

            “John!” Murray shrieked at the same time.  She whirled on Carson.  “Bring him back!”

            “Shit!  _Shit!_ ” Carson cursed.  “I’m sorry, but dammit, I don’t have a choice.  I have to do this.”  Carson pressed another button on the remote control.

            “Carson, what are you doing?” Adam yelled.  “He’s got Elton, and he’s still in Blake!  Let me go, Lewa, I’m going after him!”

            “I’m coming, too!” Murray called.  She pulled open the closet, revealing the hidden teleportation pad.  But then she stilled, staring at it for a moment before turning to Carson.  “What have you done?  You’ve shut down both of the pads!  You’ve trapped them on the moon!”

            “Carson, what is happening?” Kermit demanded.  “How can we help either of them if they’re both trapped on the moon?”

            “You’re not,” Carson informed him.  “I’m sorry, Adam, Dr. Murray, but this is what Blake wanted.  He knew he had to get Father away from a human population he could alter and integrate, and LB1 was the place to do that.  But neither of us thought he’d take Elton!  What the hell does he want Elton for?”

            “I don’t care.  I’m going with him!” Adam declared.  “Blake knew better than this.  I promised I’d never give up on him, and I meant it!  Lewa, let go of me!”  Lewa finally released him, and he ran to Dr. Murray.  “You invented these fucking things.  If anyone can get them working again…?”

            “We need time for that,” Murray replied.  Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides, and her eyes were full of unshed tears.  “We need to reestablish the connection between them, and then synchronize them.  And after that, we need to make sure they only work one way.”

            “Sister!” Gareth exclaimed.  “What are you saying?”

            “She’s saying that it’s a one-way trip,” Adam said, finally calm.  “We can’t let Father come back down.  So when I go up after Blake, it’s to stay.”  He turned back to Murray.  “Do whatever you have to do.”

            Murray pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed.  “Hey, Stinkbug,” she cooed.  “It’s mommy.  I’m going to need your help with daddy, ok?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Josh Groban (of course!) and my pick for Matt's voice, Brian McKnight. So, yeah, this is what they sound like in my head! McKnight is one of the most overlooked artists around. The sheer range of his tenor and those smooth jazz flourishes make him one of the few who can sing and blend well with Groban, and he's also a very talented musician!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iU_48AB0gQ
> 
> Adam's version of "Purple Rain" is hands down the best cover I have ever heard, IMHO. I may get hate mail for this, but I like this cover better than the original. When he plays that guitar, I remember thinking, "It's like he's only truthful when he plays!" Blake's thoughts about his emotions coming through the instrument are my own. Then at the end, it's like he pulls back into himself, which was kind of heartbreaking, honestly, because I was so lost in that music! I think it's one of the great shames in the music industry that his producer made him put down his guitar and step out front, despite how things turned out, because this guy can play! But listen for yourself:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w2lNpixqOc
> 
> Mr. Fun cheered for Carson, but said this chapter sucked. He was really mad about Elton, and he thinks Adam and the others should "kick Father in the ding-ding."


	46. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Father reveals his plans, and Adam and the Shard trios take desperate action to save Blake and Elton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well luvs, this is it, for better or for worse. As always, comments, criticism, and complaints are welcome!
> 
> Music for the scene on LB1 was "Amaranth" by Nightwish, which is of course Adam's theme for this fic.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSs4xfvATjc
> 
> Music I listened to for the end is "Leaving On A Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul, and Mary.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0AwDaXCgDU
> 
> Translation:  
> Oui, frère - Yes, brother

            “I come in peace!” Father declared.  “I’m sorry that I frightened you.  I may have been around your kind for thousands of years, but my experience actually interacting with you has been limited to my beta hosts, one of whom was psychotic.  I assure you, you have also broken multiple social rules that my kind would consider exceptionally rude.  But I am trying to be patient and understanding.  This, despite the rudest thing of all – trapping me here!”

            “Father, I apologize for the rudeness,” the chairman of the Company board said.  He’d obviously nominated himself to speak with Father.

            Both Shard trios had insisted on being present, as did Carson.  A number of lawyers from their team tried to insist they be part too, but the Company had claimed industrial secrets and managed to keep them out.  Blake’s parents had wanted to be there as well, but the Company refused that, too.  They were back at the hotel with Alicia and Miley, anxiously awaiting news. The only reason Carson had been allowed to be here was because he’d played a direct role in trapping Father on LB1.

            Carson’s black eye had swollen nearly shut.  Adam did feel bad about punching the host, and wished Carson would allow one of the chis to heal him.  But at the same time, Adam could barely focus.  There was Blake, large as life on the monitor, smiling and dimples and handsome as ever, seated in the board room on LB1 speaking through the video conference.  But it wasn’t Blake.  It was clear to anyone who knew Blake that Father was in complete control.  Adam had already allowed himself to have a meltdown after Carson had sent Father to LB1.  That had resulted in Carson’s black eye, and now Adam felt as if he was barely hanging on.  Grief choked him, weighted on his heart and soul.  Now, staring at this creature in the body of the man he loved, it threatened to overwhelm him again.  But if that happened, Adam knew, his brothers would fall apart as well.  Blake needed them now, and he needed them functioning at full capacity and thinking clearly.  _I won’t give up on you,_ Adam thought silently at the man he loved.  _I promise!_

            “I’m willing to overlook all of it,” Father was saying, “in the interest of mutually beneficial cooperation.  We can forget the past and look forward towards the future.”  He folded his hands on the table in front of him and leaned forward.  “When your group found my vessel and understood the potential it held, you only thought of profit, what you could gain from it.  But when I first arrived to your world, your kind was still huddling around fires, hunting and gathering to survive.  You hadn’t developed the concept of profit!”

            “Well, you must understand, LB1 and the Shard project represent a significant financial investment,” the chairman explained.  “While we here at the Company did not intend to trap you there, the fact is that we know very little about you.  In the interest of protecting our investment, I’m afraid we have to insist that you remain where you are, while we negotiate.”

            Father shook his head.  “I never had any interest in material things.  But I understand that, to you, it does mean a great deal.  That’s why I’m willing to cooperate with you.”

            The chairman straightened.  “You have our attention, Father.  What, exactly, do you want?”

            “My people are developers,” Father explained.  “We travel to undeveloped worlds like your own and we build them up, make them capable of joining with the other worlds we’ve developed and our own.  We are all part of a vast interstellar community, many worlds linked together in a mutually beneficial relationship based on trust, trade, and an interest in the common good.”

            “So basically, they’re the United Federation of Planets?” Matt grumbled.  “Somehow, I don’t buy that we’re living in an episode of Star Trek.  Think they have a cookbook called 'How To Serve Man'?”

            Gareth shot him a look across Adam, and Matt rolled his eyes and went quiet.  Adam was holding his brothers’ hands, and he squeezed them now, receiving comforting squeezes in return.  Beyond Gareth, Kermit had his arm around Murray.  She’d taken Elton’s abduction surprisingly hard.  That was nice enough for Elton, but it meant that both Shard trios were suffering the effects of an upset empath.  Beyond Murray, Lewa had her arm around Murray’s waist, and her face betrayed her worry.  Adam tried hard to get it together.  He was able to stabilize his brothers, but of course he couldn’t affect Murray.  He reached out for Kermit and Lewa instead, bolstering them.  Murray immediately felt the change in her brother and sister and looked over.  Adam saw her straighten her back, her expression returning to its usual icy cool.  The other empath had gotten the message.

            And then Kermit looked over, eyed Adam, and took Gareth’s other hand.  Suddenly, all six of them were together.  This was new.  Adam had often felt his brothers’ support, especially when they had tactile contact like this, but he’d never before felt it from Kermit’s trio as well.  He looked over, saw Murray’s glowing eyes still fixed on him.  Always before, he’d kept a distance between himself and the other empath, mindful of the things she’d done and the fact that they’d never gotten along.  But now, for the first time, he reached out for her.  _“I’m here, sister.”_

            Her gratitude was instant and as soothing as a balm.  As he felt the others sag in relief, Adam realized with a start that the animosity between himself and Murray had been worse for the telepaths and chis than the rivalry between Murray and Lewa over Matt.  Now, for the first time, both trios stood as one, and he’d never felt stronger.  Adam dared to hope.  But then he stiffened with the others.

            Joined together like this, the six of them were getting their first peek behind the curtain.  And what they were seeing was terrifying.

            Meanwhile, Father had continued to stress that he was interested only in developing Earth in preparation to join what he described as a community of diverse worlds, all working towards the common good.  “Your technology has come a long way from the days of sharpened sticks.  But as you’ve already discovered, it can be greatly improved,” he was saying.  “And that is where the benefit can come in for your Company.  The teleporters, for example, could eliminate the problems caused by your current methods of travel that utilize fossil fuels and are unsafe and dangerous.  We can show you how to develop new, clean sources of energy that will vastly improve not only your bottom line and your way of life, but your planet, as well!  And all we ask in return is your cooperation.”

            “All that you are offering sounds good,” the chairman admitted.  “But please explain what you mean by ‘cooperation.’  You want more psionics, is that correct?”

            “Yes, of course.  We’ll need the psionics to stay alive in this world, just as my current sons and daughters cannot survive without me,” Father agreed.  “But I’m acutely aware that the genetic alterations I originally made did not pan out as well as I’d hoped.  The empathic strain has all but died out.  Fortunately, one of my current daughters is proof that this problem can be circumvented.  I’ll need her, and the rest of my psionics, sent here to me.  As a token of good faith, I will agree to remain here until I’ve proven myself worthy of your trust.”

            The chairman leaned forward, ready to negotiate.  “And what do you offer in exchange for the psionics?”

            “I offer nothing.  They’re mine!”  Father’s voice showed irritation for the first time. 

            The chairman blinked.  “Excuse me?”

            “By your own negotiations with my alpha host, you’ve agreed that they are our property.  We are even married to one of them, and I want him back.  I want them all back!”

            “Father,” the chairman began patiently, “As you are not human, that contract cannot apply…”

            “See, this is what I mean by rudeness!  How dare you assume that you are superior to me, and therefore I am your property because I’m not human?  My kind were spanning the cosmos before your ancestors came down out of the trees!”  Father shook his head.  “If this rudeness continues, I’ll have no choice but to contact another international company, and allow them the honor and profits that the developments I can bring will provide.”

            “No need to be hasty!  Of course, you’re right.  We will have your psionics sent to you as soon as possible,” the chairman said quickly.  “Please forgive me, I was unintentionally rude.  Now, let’s continue to negotiate…”

            “You son of a bitch!” Carson yelled.  “You’re just going to give them up?”

            Father perked up.  “Who else is there?”

            “Someone who does not have permission to speak,” the chairman replied, glaring at Carson. 

            Carson glared back.  “You won’t get away with this!”

            The Chairman ignored him.  Meanwhile, the psionics held tight to each others’ hands.  They’d all expected this, but that didn’t keep a cold shiver of fear from going through them.  Adam reached for Murray again and worked to calm everyone.  _“Remember, we have a plan!”_

            “Is it safe to assume that, as part of this agreement, you wish the Company to continue to aid you in your search for more psionics?” the Chairman asked.

            “I am currently aware of another empath, Marie Colin, the daughter of one of my telepaths.  She’s currently underdeveloped, but in time, she will be able to join a Shard trio of her own.  She needs only to reach the age of a telepath I’ve discovered, Gavin Parland, the brother of another of my sons.  And of course Esse Bolaji, the sister of one of my daughters, is a chi in her own right and will likely have a child that has some variation of the genetic strain I altered.”

            Kermit, Gareth, and Lewa stiffened.  “Gavin’s only six!” Gareth said quietly.

            “Marie’s just over a year!” Kermit said.  “He’s saying that in five years…?”

            “He could take Esse now, integrate her and then just wait six years for her child!” Lewa moaned.

            “It’s not going to happen,” Adam assured.  He and Murray acted to soothe them, even as the others extended their own support.  Carson looked over, his face reddening in anger.  Through the telepaths, Adam could sense that he was thinking hard and fast, trying to come up with a way to prevent the Company from sending the six of them to LB1.  Adam caught his eye and nodded, trying to let the host know that they were alright with it.  But Carson only frowned and kept thinking.

            “So you already have a third Shard trio in the making,” the chairman was saying.  “And you wish us to help you find more.  These trios offer you power?  May I ask, what do you need that much power for?”

            “To bring my people through, of course,” the Father replied.  “I can’t develop this world alone!  With two trios, I’ve got enough energy to sustain myself while I bring through another vessel, another set of shards, as you call them.  And that is why I need my servants.”  He turned, looking at something out of the view of the camera, and waved someone over.  “Elton, my servant, do come over?”

            Murray’s tension increased as Elton appeared.  The Operations Project Leader looked much better than he had the last time the group had seen him.  He smiled, waved at the camera, and plopped down into a chair next to Father.  “What’s up, boss?”

            “I was just telling this gentleman from the Company about you,” Father explained.  “My servant has been incredibly useful.  He knows how to work most of the essential components of this base, and he’s been quite busy getting things working.  While it was decidedly inconvenient to be trapped here, I’ve made the most of it.  This base will serve to welcome the vessel of the first of my people, and my servant Elton here will serve as the first beta host.”

            “Glad I can help!” Elton called.

            Father peered at the monitor.  “I know I heard his voice earlier.  Carson Daly is there, isn’t he?  Do come out, please, Carson, I very much would like to talk to you!”

            That was unexpected.  The chairman beckoned, and Carson warily rose and moved until he could be seen on the monitor in LB1.  “Hi,” he said.

            “Hello, Carson!  Congratulations, I’ve chosen you to serve as the second beta host for the first of my people.  Your DNA isn’t altered enough to be psionic, but it’s certainly enough that you can be easily altered to carry my people with Elton.  Between the two of you, you should be adequate to host the first of my people until a compatible alpha host like my own can be found.  I’ve already taken the liberty of removing the problem areas in my servant Elton’s mind that resulted in the difficulties with the first betas, one being physically dependent on the vessel and the other being psychotic.  I’ll do the same with you, and you’ll be ready to serve as a beta host and my servant.”

            Carson crossed his arms over his chest.  “I’m afraid I’ll have to regretfully decline.  You’re not doing anything to me.”

            “I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Father said cheerfully.  “You see, my servant Elton was already altered and ready for me to make the final adjustments to his mind.  You need a bit more work.  But I’ve already started the process of altering you, last night when you took me backstage and tricked me to send me out here.  Granted, I didn’t expect your trick with the remote control, but why do you think I remained so near you, when I knew what you had planned?”  Father nodded.  “Now that you’re near my psionics, the process will continue at an accelerated rate, just like it initially did with my alpha host.  Very soon, you’ll be ready for my final alterations to prepare you to serve me.”

            Carson scoffed.  “Right now, I’m ready to tell you to kiss my ass,” he called.  “If you think I’m going to just let you dump your buddy into me, you are greatly mistaken!  You might be able to, as you so kindly put it, ‘alter’ me, but I assure you, I am going to fight you every step of the way!”

            Father sighed.  “You see, this is what I mean by rudeness,” he told the chairman.  “But I can sympathize.  I don’t imagine my new servant feels just how important he is to the betterment of your species as a whole.”

            “You really are being a complete douche nozzle, Carson,” Elton called.  “The boss is trying to save the planet, you asshole!  What right do you have to balk at helping?”

            “You really are out of your mind,” Carson shot back.  “And I think that’s literal.  You’re sitting there looking cheerful and smiling like you haven’t been brainwashed, but something tells me you’re as much under the control of ET here as Blake!”

            “Don’t be a cockwad, Daly,” Elton retorted.  “Bottom line, the boss already started altering your genetic structure.  You’re still mostly human right now, but that will change real fast.  So honestly, the Company’s in its rights to legally claim you.  In fact, they’re kind of obligated to.  You’ve got foreign DNA, and you need isolated.  What better place to do that than here on LB1?  Look at the chairman, he gets it, don’t you, buddy?  Carson, you’re not leaving that building unless it’s via teleport up here.  So get used to the idea, ok?”

            Carson grew very still.  “You’re not taking me.”

            “Actually, yes we are.  So once again, get used to the idea.”

            Father patted Elton’s shoulder in approval, and Elton sat back, looking pleased.  “This is what I offer,” the Father began.  “Send him up to me with my psionics, and I’ll finish altering him.  Once he’s ready, I’ll bring the first of my people through, divide them into the two beta hosts, and integrate one of my trios to them.  At that point, we can create another empath, create new trios, and search for a pure human alpha host.  Then, my servants will be ready to take on the next of my people to come through.  Of course, we’ll also need to obtain more beta hosts, to ease the burden on my servants.  There are a few dozen of my people waiting to come through to this world.  And of course, I’ll begin the process of development immediately, and your Company can spearhead the distribution of what I can bring to the rest of your species.”

            Father spread his hands.  “Mr. Chairman, with the help of your Company, we can do so much good!  My psionics, for example, have only been utilized so far as soldiers or to produce weapons or other items.  They can do so much more!  My chis can heal your wounded and sick.  My telepaths can do wonders not only in your criminal justice system, but also to reach those unable to communicate.  They can even communicate across vast distances, and between diverse groups who speak unfamiliar languages!  And don’t underestimate my empaths.  Consider the impact they can have just with your soldiers, helping them deal with PTSD?  Combine their abilities with the telepaths, and you can end all war, bring both sides to a mutual agreement, and bring peace to your world.  Can you imagine it, a world with no war?”

            “But you’re turning people into slaves!” Carson exploded.  “You’ve done it to the trios, you did it to Elton, and now you’re doing it to me!”

            “Bitch, I am not a slave!” Elton called crossly.  “I’m a servant.  There’s a difference!”

            “Last time I saw you, Elton, you were struggling to get free when Father kidnapped you,” Carson pointed out angrily.  “I don’t believe for one moment that this is really you talking now!  You’re a sock puppet, and Father’s got his hand shoved up your ass!”

            Elton stiffened.  “Oh, now you’re getting personal!  Get your skinny ass up here and say that to my face, Daly!”

            “Enough!” the chairman and Father yelled at the same time.  Elton and Carson exchanged glares through the monitors, but went silent.

            “I’ll have no more fighting between you and your brother,” Father scolded Elton.  “And Carson, I expect you to behave civilly when you arrive.”

            “You’re trying to kidnap me, take away my humanity and make me a slave!” Carson yelled.  “I’ll be damned if I’ll be civil for that!”

            “Mr. Daly does have a point,” the chairman said politely.  “You are asking, basically, for human sacrifice in exchange for the betterment of the species as a whole.  While it can be argued that the needs of the many certainly outweigh the needs of a few, were I in Mr. Daly’s position, I could understand why he’s so upset.”

            “You’re afraid of what’s been done to create my children, my psionics,” the Father guessed.  “They were brutalized and broken, but that’s only because it was done at the hands of a psychopath!  I was only given a choice of three for my initial beta hosts, and I chose the two that most matched my needs.  But I never ordered my children to be tortured and broken the way they were!  It’s just that I hadn’t yet learned the finer points of control over my beta hosts.  They did not understand that they needed to work together to integrate psionics until recently.  Then one killed the other, and I had to reach out through my telepath to help the final beta host learn to hold enough of both portions of me to integrate my children.  A beta host can’t hold one of us for long, which is why we need to divide ourselves into two of them for anything long term.  So understand, it is essential that you give me Daly when you return my trios.  If I don’t get him, there is no deal!”  He sat back.  “That is my offer.  I can make you rich and improve the lives of your entire species.  All I ask in return is a token few, so that my people can live in this world to make it happen.  Can you really deny me these few, when I am absolutely full of shit, and deny the billions in your world now what I can offer?”

            Everyone looked up.  The chairman and Carson both had amazing poker faces and didn’t do anything more than raise an eyebrow slightly.  Adam had to give them credit.

            “How can we be certain that helping our species is your true motive?” the chairman asked, not changing expression.  “You say you only wish to bring a few dozen of your people to our world and you require hosts and psionics to sustain them.  But what’s to stop you from bringing more and more of your kind through and simply taking over?”

            The Father looked wounded.  “How can you ask that of me when I’m a damned liar?  I understand that when I took my servant Elton it likely upset you, but I needed him.  These fuckers aren’t developers, they’re conquerors!  They sent Father out as an advance scout to prepare the next world while they used up the one they’re on.  Now that world is dying and they want ours!  They’re all lined up to come over.  And there’s millions, not dozens!  They’ll turn half the planet into hosts or trios and the rest will just be breeding stock!  My people have waited for some time, letting your kind reach the limits of your potential on your own, and now we are here to extend a helping hand.  You lying sack of shit!  Don’t let him have Carson or he’ll bring another one through!  They’re too powerful, and we gotta stop them right now!”

            Father paused, and then he frowned.  “It appears that I am having some difficulty with my host.  That’s right, you son of a bitch, I’m still in here!  You locked down on Elton, but you can’t shut me down, can you?  All you can do is push me back, and I’ll keep fighting you!  Adam, baby, get Carson somewhere safe and then stay away from him!  If you’re not near him, it’ll slow the process down, keep Carson from changing so fast, and give you more time to try to save Elton!”

            “Father?” the chairman called.

            The Father had closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating.  Next to him, Elton had gone stiff, his eyes blankly staring ahead.  Then Father opened his eyes and both he and Elton seemed to return to normal.  “I’m very sorry about that,” he said.  “My host has a vivid imagination, and he’s very upset that I’ve taken over.  So, Mr. Daly, I can understand more than you know.”  He looked at the monitor.  “Mr. Chairman, you have my offer.  I’ll be expecting my psionics and Daly to be sent to me here on LB1 in twenty four hours or less.  If you don’t provide them within that time, I’ll be contacting another group.  Good day.”

            The screen went blank.

            “Well!” Carson called.  “Seems pretty clear to me that you can’t let this Father guy have the trios or me.  I figured this was a set-up for an invasion.  Why else would he need that much power?”

            “He claims he needs it to bring another of his people in to help him develop this world,” the Chairman reminded.  “And at this point, it’s his word against Mr. Shelton-Levine’s.  There’s no way to know which of them may be lying, not when they both have ample reason for deception.”

            Carson stared at him.  “You heard Blake!  That thing’s lying!  It’s not developing this world with a few dozen of its kind, it’s taking it over with millions!”  He turned to the trios, glaring accusingly at them.  “Why are the six of you sitting there saying nothing?”

            “Moo.” Adam said quietly.

            “There’s not one bloody thing we can say or do,” Gareth explained.  “We’re livestock, remember?  And you’re about to join us in the barn, mate.”

            “Sorry, man, but we already knew this was coming,” Matt said.  “We didn’t expect him to want you, but we were all sure he’d want us.”

            “There isn’t anywhere we can run that we can’t be found.  We’re all wearing tracers,” Kermit reminded.  “And with Unum gone, short of cutting off my thumb again, I’ve no idea how to get them off.  Unum could always flash us back no matter where we were.  Well, that power came from Father, so it seems logical that Father would have the same ability, once Elton cracks the lock on that teleportation pad.  And if I happen to be holding my daughter when Father flashes me?”

            “But that’s the thing!  You have a kid, man!” Carson exclaimed.  “You’ve all got families waiting back at the hotel!  What am I going to tell them?”

            “You won’t get a chance!” Murray exclaimed.  “Father wants you, too, Daly, and he’s already started to alter you.  You’re never going to be permitted to just walk out this door!  Take a look around, look at the big thugs near the doors.  They were brought in to keep us from running.  Do you really think they’re going to let you out now?”  She glared at the chairman.  “I know my own work.  That teleporter that you had installed back at the studio?  It’s not the same one that was here.  You built a third, which means that the second one is still right here.  If we’re in range, you can flash all seven of us up to LB1 right now!”

            “Of course we’re in range,” Kermit growled.  “The Company knew as well as we did that Father would want us.  But it doesn’t matter.  As to my family, well, Father needs both of our trios, and that means he is going to take me.  I can’t run and hope he doesn’t find me, hope he never comes after my baby.  I can’t live that way!  So send me up to LB1 now, Mr. Chairman.  I believe we’re all ready.  But for the love of God, don’t give him Carson!”

            “Father specifically stated that we had to send Mr. Daly with the six of you,” the chairman reminded.

            “You stupid, stupid man!” Lewa exclaimed.

            “Seriously, man, you’re an idiot,” Adam agreed.  “All you have to do is tell Father that there’s some legal issues you have to work out before you can send him.  Meanwhile, send us.  I guarantee that we’ll keep him busy, at least for a while.  And for the record, Blake was telling the truth.  We six linked up a bit ago, and when we did, I could sense them, millions of beings just like Father, waiting.”

            “He’s right,” Kermit confirmed.  “And Father lied about them being interstellar.  They come from another dimension, a parallel world.”

            Matt nodded.  “Father lied through his teeth about not knowing how to interact with humans.  They’re from a parallel Earth, populated by humans.  They always interact with humans!  They’re like parasites, taking over entire populations and burning through natural resources until there isn’t anything left.  But they’re not stupid.  They’ve sent an advance scout like Father to multiple other Earths to prepare the way for when the Earth they already have is ruined.  They’ve already destroyed, honestly, only God knows how many other Earths.  Now their latest is dying, and we’re next on the chopping block.”

            “Then why are you just sitting there?” Carson wanted to know.  “As powerful as you are, why don’t you fight?”

            “We’re about to,” Murray said calmly.  She raised her voice.  “Send us up there, stinkbug!  And whatever you do, do _not_ send Carson!”

            GOOD LUCK, MOM! appeared on the monitor.  GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

            “What is the meaning of this?” the chairman exclaimed.

            “Oh yeah,” Carson remembered, grinning.  “You installed Hardwire down here, didn’t you?  You know, fourteen year old kids tend to be pretty attached to their parents, even if you decide they aren’t human!”

            The chairman swore.  “Grab Daly!” he ordered his guards.

            As the guards moved towards Carson, Adam wanted to help.  But the glowing runes had already appeared on his tracer.  Carson was on his own.  He looked up, met Carson’s eyes as the guards took hold of him, and saw the host nod.  Carson was putting his fate into Adam’s hands.

            Adam tightened his grip on Gareth and Matt’s hands as they all stood.  “Be strong, brothers and sisters,” he called.  “And follow my lead.”  _Please, God, please let me be able to reach him!_

****

            A smiling Elton was waiting for them at the transport pad on LB1 when the trios arrived.  “Hey, welcome home!” he called.  “Father’s waiting.”  Then he frowned.  “Where’s Daly?  The deal was that they send him with you.”

            “It’s a legal issue,” Kermit called.  “The lawyers are fighting over him as we speak.”

            “What a crock of shit,” Elton complained.  “No offense, Kermit, but damn lawyers anyway!  Well, that is going to piss off the boss.  I suppose there’s not much that can be done about it, though.  Ok, boys and girls, it’s time to go back on your leashes.  Father wants to reintegrate the alpha trio first, then the beta.  Then we’ll deal with this Company.”  He paused.  “Ok, that’s the plan, and why the hell are you guys surrounding me?  You’re starting to worry me a bit.  You have to know that you can’t beat Father!”

            “We know no such thing,” Murray called.  Then she moved forward, threw her arms around a surprised Elton’s neck, and kissed him.

            “Now, Adam!” Kermit called.  The five of them took each other’s hands, still standing in a circle around Elton and Murray as Adam reached out, joining his power with Murray to bring out the love that the former soldier still had for his ex-wife. 

            Supported by the others, the empaths were never stronger.  And it was enough to break through the hold that Father had on Elton’s mind.  “Gareth!” Adam called.

            “We’ve got this, brother!  Kermit!”

            “Oui, frère!”

            And now the telepaths went to work, drawing Elton’s true self forward, all of them backed with the chi’s powerful support.  Elton gasped, swayed on his feet, and finally pulled back, staring at Murray.  “I love you,” he told her.  “I never stopped loving you, not even when we did nothing but fight and call each other horrible names.  You’re the only woman I ever loved, Melissa, and since you’ve been integrated, you’ve gone back to the woman I fell in love with.  Please, baby, give me another chance?”

            “Shut up, you idiot!” Murray snapped.  Then she drew him closer for another kiss.

            “That seems to have gone well,” Gareth commented, grinning.

            “Thank God!” Matt exclaimed.

            “What, doc?” Elton challenged.  “Melissa was too much for you?”

            “Two women isn’t as much fun as advertised, even if I am more endowed than you are.”

            “It’s not the size of the boat, doc, it’s the motion of the ocean!” Elton declared.  “Besides, she always told me I was king of cunnilingus.”

            “I did not need to hear that!”

            “Too much information!”

            “Dude!”

            “I believe he is back to himself now.”

            Elton laughed, kissed Murray again, and then looked at Adam, his face serious.  “I assume you’re going to try something similar with Blake, try to reach him and knock Father out?  But I gotta tell you, it’s not going to work.  I only got a glimpse of Father, when he took control of me, but what I saw was huge!  You guys got a lot of juice, but it’s just not enough!”

            “We need to divide him,” Murray said.  “Take him down to size.  But to do that, we need something to put half of him into.  I thought perhaps if we let him pull another set of shards through?”

            “Huge, Melissa,” Elton reminded gently.  “Besides, we really do not want to deal with another set of shards.  But there’s another option.”  He turned back to Adam.  “Put me in, coach!  Father altered me specifically so I can hold half of one of his buddies.  I can hold half of his sorry ass just as easily.”

            “We thought of that,” Kermit admitted.  “But what’s to keep the half we push into you from jumping right back to Blake, or taking you over?”

            “Because I was a member of the United States special forces, that’s why!” Elton said proudly.  “Father may have been too much for me, but Unum never could control me.  And that fucker tried!  When he first put Duo into Blake and locked me in that detention cell, Unum tried his damnedest to take me over.  But I’ve been trained to resist interrogation techniques.  Unum couldn't break me, and I can handle anything this fucker throws at me!  You guys tear Father in two, throw half of him into me, and then the eight of us can decide what to do.  And for the record, in the event that I do get taken over?”  Elton reached into one of his pockets, produced a grenade, and handed it to Adam.  “This will take out that damned teleportation pad forever.  No matter what happens, Father cannot get back to Earth.  Pull the pin, toss it in, and dive for cover, you got it?”

            “Yeah.”  Adam warily accepted the grenade, putting into the pocket of his jacket.  “Alright.  Let’s go get Blake!”

****

            Blake was a prisoner in his own mind, and it pissed him off.  He could see through his own eyes, but couldn’t direct where to look.  He could move about, but had no control over where they went or what they did.  And worst of all, he could see and hear everything, hear the lies that came out of his own mouth, and only by extending all his strength could he challenge them.  But doing so exhausted him.  He rested now, feeling as if he was beneath the ice of a frozen lake, floating somewhere cold and dark, able to see the light but held back from it as he waited anxiously for Adam and the others.  _“You are not going to win this, do you hear me?”_ he told Father.  _“I don’t care if it kills me, I will fight you with my last breath before I let you hurt anyone else!”_

            “You really are troublesome,” Father replied.  He stood in the Shard room, preparing the restraining chairs for the alpha trio.  “Once I get my sons and daughters back under control, I’ll go to work on Daly, get him prepared.  Now that I’m at full power, it should only take a couple of days.  Then, when we bring the first of my people through and into the beta hosts, well, two of us working together will have no need for those silly teleportation pads.  We’ll simply flash back to Earth, contact the Company, and get to work on our next set of psionics.”

            _“You’re not reintegrating those trios, you son of a bitch!”_ Blake snarled.  _“I couldn’t stop you from taking over Elton, but I’m starting to figure out how things work in here.  I will tear us both apart before I let you hurt Adam and the others!”_

            Father chuckled.  “You act as if you’re the first alpha host to fight against us.  Yes, you can cause a great deal of trouble initially, but look at how exhausted you already are!  You cannot keep this up, Blake.  Eventually, you’ll simply wear yourself out.  And then you’ll start to fade away.  You’re mine now, and even if it takes me some time, I will reintegrate my trios.  Your kind is short lived, while I have lived longer than you can imagine.  I’ve seen your kind come and go, and although you always fight and rail initially, in the end, you always bow to your masters.”

            “Hey boss, you talking to yourself again?”

            Father turned to see Elton and the trios crowding into the Shard room.  Blake noted with alarm that all six psionics were white-faced at the sight of the chairs.  _Don’t freak out,_ he pleaded silently.  _Help me fight this fucker!_

            “My servant, you seem to have slipped your lead,” Father said.  “Let’s rectify that.”

            He reached for Elton, whose eyes went wide.  But six sets of eyes suddenly blazed, even as Blake pulled with all his might, damping down Father’s power.  The anger at being thwarted he could feel from Father did Blake a world of good.

            And then Adam stepped forward, cupped Blake/Father’s face in his hands, and his glowing eyes seemed once more to pierce right through Blake.  “Blake?  I know you’re in there, and I can feel you more now than I could yesterday on Earth.  We need your help, baby.  And I’m going to show you what you really mean to me, to all of us.”

            Then it began, the barrage of emotion.  Father moved back, and Blake instantly responded, straining towards Adam.  But Father was chuckling.  “Clever little monkey, but you’ve forgotten something.  I gave you your abilities, remember?  I have all three of them!  And you should know by now, one empath can’t affect another!”

            To Blake’s alarm, Father began to push back, digging into Adam’s mind.  Adam cried out, his hands falling to Blake’s shoulders.  “Oh ho, what’s this?” Father called.  “You’ve got something hidden in there!  Was this your secret weapon, an empathic vault?  Let’s see what you’ve got in there!”

            And a moment later, the safe Adam had created from his emotions was gone.  Blake cringed in dismay, but Adam only smiled.  “Thanks,” he said.  “That was a huge help!”

            Now the memories of Blake were free, and Adam let them flow.  Hidden away inside of his mental safe were all of the little things Blake had said or done, all the loving moments that Adam had been determined to keep safe when he was integrated.  The way Blake had smiled when Adam booped his nose.  How Blake had squeezed his arms tight around Adam’s waist when Adam sat on his lap and how he’d leaned his head against Adam’s back.  The way his dimples flashed when Blake smiled.  The sparkle in his eyes.  The way those eyes looked when he watched Adam perform.  How Blake would always look over at Adam while they listened to artists during the blinds.  The memories tumbled and churned, a flood of them, each attached to the emotion they’d stirred.

            Here at last, the strongest, most emotional memory of all.  Adam thinking of how Blake looked in that field of flowers as he was dragged into integration for the first time.  _I will never give up on you, Blake.  I will always be your unwilting Amaranth!_

            An empath couldn’t affect another empath.  A telepath couldn’t control another telepath.  And nothing Father could do could keep this flood of memories from pouring into Blake, bringing those powerful emotions with them.  It was an onslaught against which a being like Father couldn't hope to stand.

            Blake snarled, moving forward, feeling the strength of the psionics flowing through Adam even as he raised his hands, took Adam’s shoulders.  “Tell me what to do, baby!” he called.  “I can’t stay in control for much longer!”

            “Tear him apart, Blake!” Adam exclaimed.  “Tear this fucker in two!  We’ll help you!”

            “Then get your asses in here!”  Blake focused on Adam and forced open the door of his mind, feeling the combined power of both Shard trios pour in.

            Father shrieked, dividing once more as seven powerful minds sliced through him like a knife.  But even as he worked with the psionics, Blake wasn’t sure what the plan was.  Dividing Father in two was certainly satisfying, but what was to keep him from simply rejoining?

            And then Elton was there, reaching past Adam to put his hand on Blake’s head, sending an open invitation.  And almost immediately, half of Father began pouring out into him.

            “No!  Elton!  What the hell are you doing?”

            “My job!  Trust me, boss!” Elton grunted, his face contorting as he took on half of the furious, protesting entity.  “I can handle this thing!”

            As if to prove himself a liar, Elton immediately collapsed.  Blake drew back with a start, swayed, and nearly joined him on the floor.  _“John!”_ Murray shrieked.

            “I’m ok,” Elton groaned.  “But this son of a bitch is putting up one hell of a fight.  Boss, it’s time to do some fast thinking, because Father really wants back into you and I don’t know how long I can hold him!”

            “You stupid ass!” Blake yelled.  “Even if you can hold him, he’ll just slowly take you over, just like he did to Unum and Duo!  It’s what Shard does, it takes over, and the human fades…”  He paused, brightening.  “Elton!” he yelled, pulling Elton to his feet.  “You gotta join with me, and we gotta integrate with the psionics!”

            Both trios drew back in shock.  Elton gave him a hard look.  “If you could resist Father, you can surely fight back Duo!  Come to your senses, or I swear I’m going to punch you right in the face!”

            “I am!  Elton, all of us are part human and part Shard.  And normally, the Shard part’s in control, and the human part fades.  It’s why Gareth was so bad when I brought him out, and Adam and Matt had holes in their minds.  So Gareth came up with the idea of integrating together _as humans,_ of using their We memory to fill those holes, and that is why they’re complete humans!  Then Kermit’s trio just followed his lead, and now so will we!  Elton, Father had access to all of my memories, but I could see his, too.  The reason he wanted to reintegrate the trios was because while the humans were in charge, the _Shard_ portion was fading!  And it’s fading way faster than the humans ever did.  They’re still integrated, but that’s why I could manhandle Matt, remember?  Because they’re always weaker when they’re out of alignment, and they’ve never been more out of alignment than they are now!”

            “We’re all down to 60%,” Murray supplied.  “And guess what?  We’re fine!  There’s a reduction in power, but it stabilized at 70%.  Blake, you’re right.  We’ll never be human again, but if we keep our human elements in control, the Shard element will fade out!  We should still have our powers, but we’ll never be integrated or controlled again!”

            “You haven’t got the time to just let Father fade!” Adam insisted.  “Elton’s already sweating, and Blake, you’re white as a sheet!”

            “I know, and that’s why we gotta integrate with you guys,” Blake explained.  “But we’re going to do it backwards.  Elton and I aren’t going to force your minds together and then pull you to us.  This time, when we reach for you, I want you to force us apart, and bring _us_ to _you!_   Bring out as much of our humanity as you possibly can, and force Father so far back in our minds that he fades away to nothing!”

            “That could work!” Elton admitted.

            “I know, I’m not as dumb as I look.”  Blake grinned and reached for Elton’s hand.  “C’mon, buddy.  Let’s boot this bitch!”

            “Right, all together now!” Gareth called.  “Kermit, with me, mate?”

            “Oui, frère!”

            Blake’s only real worry was that Father would somehow be able to join back together and go back into him when he and Elton joined their minds.  But the telepaths were already watching, joining with the others to prevent it.  When Blake and Elton reached for the psionics, they were ready.  And suddenly, Blake was once again bombarded with memories, six people drawing on all their memories of him and Elton, following the lead of the empaths to bring out their humanity.

            Blake felt himself drawn away from Elton, isolated, further dividing the Shard entity, and instead drawn towards Adam and his brothers even as Elton was drawn to Murray and her trio.  In the back of Blake’s mind, Duo shrieked again.  But the sound was rapidly fading, the entity being shoved back more and more as Blake drew on these memories he was given to rebuild the damage Father had caused in his mind.

            And then he was whole, and everything went black.

            “Blake?”  Adam.  Blake was flat on his back on the floor, and Adam was stroking his cheeks.  “Man, I thought you two would never wake up!  You’ve been unconscious for three hours, Blake, are you alright?”

            Blake smiled, took his hands, and kissed them.  “Baby, I’ve never felt better!”

            Next to him, Elton groaned.  “Hey boss?” he called.  “If I ever have to do that again, I quit!”

****

            A beanbag, Blake discovered, was far more comfortable than it looked, even with three guys lying practically on top of him.  Adam slept face down between Blake’s legs, his arms tight around Blake’s waist and his head resting on Blake’s chest.  Gareth lay on Blake’s shoulder as he’d frequently slept on Matt’s, while Matt had taken Adam’s old position on Blake’s other shoulder.  Matt and Gareth’s arms linked over Adam, while Blake held to the two of them.  When they’d first gone to sleep, Blake wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep like this.  But it turned out to be the best night’s sleep of his life.  Integrating was going to take some getting used to, though.  Having three guys in his head was strange enough.  The fact that all three of them routinely linked together while still inside of Blake’s head was stranger.  But Blake supposed it could be worse.  After all, Blake could sense their We memory, but couldn’t access it and wasn’t a part of it.  That was good.  The last thing the brothers needed was more of their minds hollowed out to make way for a forth mind.  At least Blake’s mind was already capable of holding all three of theirs.

            For a long moment, Blake lay still, holding the brothers close to him, not wanting to let them go.  The families had gone on ahead yesterday, giving the Shard operatives one more day together.  But after today, Blake had no idea when he’d be able to do this again.  For a  moment, he wished he could just stay here and go on holding the brothers while they were still together.  But a glance at his watch let him know that it was time to get up.  Blake closed his eyes, fought back his sadness at what was to come, and put on his smile.  “Rise and shine!” he called loudly.  “Big day today!”

            Assorted groans and grumblings all around him.

            “C’mon, get off me now!” Blake insisted, chuckling.  “Y’all would sleep all day if you could, wouldn’t you?”

            “Why the hell did you have to marry a morning person, Adam?”

            “It was a package deal, Matt!”

            “What Gareth said.”  Adam buried his face in Blake’s chest.  “Five more minutes?”

            “Up and at ‘em, boys!  Gareth’s got a plane to catch!  _Elton!_ ” he bellowed.  “You up?”

            “I’ve been up for ten minutes!” Elton yelled back.  “Kermit’s making breakfast!”

            “French cuisine?”  Adam was immediately up.

            “There he goes,” Matt grumbled.  “Always thinking with his stomach.  Gareth, you bastard!”

            “Sorry, mate,” Gareth called back over his shoulder.  “All I can say is, Kermit had best be a very good cook!”

            “It does smell great,” Matt confessed.  He got up and easily pulled Blake to his feet.  Then he lowered his voice.  “So, are we really going to let him do this?  Go back to England, I mean?”

            “You really going to let Lewa go back to Nigeria?”

            “That’s temporary.  Hardwire’s pushing her paperwork through, and as soon as I can, I’ll marry her and she’ll be an American citizen.  Triple wedding, man, me and Lewa, Elton and Murray, and you and Adam!  That’s going to be something!”  He smiled.  “By the way, thanks for giving us the ranch house.  It’s perfect for the clinic we want to set up.”

            “No problem, buddy.”  Blake clapped him on the shoulder, intentionally almost knocking him over, and laughed.  “Now stop with the wistful expression!  Look, you were in Gareth’s head just last night.  He’s not going to ditch us to permanently stay in England, is he?”

            Matt smiled.  “No, I guess not.  And I don’t imagine Kermit’s going to stay in France forever, either, not with Lewa and Murray and Elton here.  Besides, Gareth’s got a triple wedding to come to, right?”

            Blake laughed again.  “Who knows?  It won’t take him long to finish school, and then he can decide for himself what he wants to do.  Meanwhile, he can visit us, and we’ll visit him.  I suspect we won’t be the only visitors he has, either!”

            Matt chuckled.  “I hear Miley’s already got a flat rented in London.  Maybe, before long, he’ll be standing at his own wedding.  And you can bet, this time, we’ll make sure he gets to it.”

****

            All too soon, it was time to say goodbye.  Kermit and Lewa would travel with Gareth to London, then catch their own flights to France and Nigeria.  Carson, Alicia, and Miley had joined them to see the three off.

            Miley was a sobbing mess.  She was so bad that Adam eventually had to step in to tamp her emotions down.  Gareth was in real danger of being strangled as she clung to his neck, crying and insisting that he promise to write and call over and over.  Matt and Lewa didn’t say a word.  All they did was stare longingly into each other’s eyes, to the point where it was embarrassing to be around them.  And Kermit barely strayed from Elton’s side, Murray clinging to him as he discussed something with Elton.

            Carson moved closer to Blake, who stood with his arm around Adam.  “So, you’re quartets now?”

            “Kind of,” Blake replied.

            “He and Elton aren’t integrated with us the way we are to each other,” Adam explained.  “It’s more like we accidentally replaced Father in their heads with us.  Now we kind of live in Blake’s head, and Kermit’s group lives in Elton’s, and Blake and Elton can contact each other whenever they want.  So we’re all eight joined together, in a way.”  Adam looked down.  “I guess we’ll never be able to go back to what we were.  That’s bad news for anyone who wants kids.  But honestly, I think for the most part everyone’s ok with how we are now.”

            “What about you, Carson?” Blake wanted to know.  “Murray and Elton swear up and down that you stopped changing when we tore Father apart.  But are you really ok?”

            “I hope so,” Carson sighed.  “But I’m honestly more concerned about all of you.  What if, God forbid, something happens to one of you?  Then what happens to the others?”

            “What happens to one probably affects us all in some way, for better or worse,” Adam admitted.  “But we psionics are used to that.  You should have seen us when Gareth got roofied!”

            “Ugh, let’s not remember that mess,” Blake groaned.

            “So, you boys going to take those big red chairs next season?” Carson wanted to know.

            “That depends entirely on how things go,” Blake said.  “The one thing I have Father to thank for is his idea about how we can all use our powers to really help people.  For now, Matt’s going to set up a clinic at my ranch in Oklahoma, go back to helping the poor.”

            “And I’m going to go back to the battered woman’s shelter,” Adam called.

            “We’re basically going to keep it low key until we get at least one of the telepaths back, but the plan then is to go into the warzones,” Blake said.  “With a little help from Hardwire and, however reluctantly offered, the Company, we can do a lot of good with people who need it most.  And since our bodies are still Shard, we’re safer than most to go into places like that and help others.”

            Carson smiled.  “Well when you do go, consider me as a sponsor.  You saved me from a fate worse than death, and I’m forever grateful.  Um, no offense.”

            “None taken.”

            “You’re fine, buddy.”  Blake’s glowing eyes grew serious as the boarding call was announced.  “Ho boy, here we go.  Dammit, I don’t want to let them go!  I feel like I’m losing my kid with Gareth leaving!  Adam, do not let me cry in pubic!”

            “You’re blubbering your brains out, and I’m never going to let you forget it.”

            “Jackass!”

            “Dickhead!”

            But in the end, Adam was sobbing too as they stood at the window and watched the plane carrying Gareth, Kermit, and Lewa take off.  The entire group was wiping at their eyes, watching the plane until it sailed up into the sky and out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Jack, you read my mind about all four of them in the beanbag!
> 
> Mr. Fun did a lot of swearing and ranted for a good five minutes straight about how alien creatures in sci-fi pieces were always so much more advanced than humanity and he wanted to see the humans be superior for once. Then he was cheering for Carson, loving it when he mouthed off to puppet Elton. And he made a lot of noise and danced around when Blake started breaking through. Since I've been reading this aloud to him and I never changed the tone of my voice when that happened, it took him a moment of blinking at me before he got it, which was highly entertaining. Overall, he said he loved this chapter. Experiment complete, he got to experience one of my fanfics and actually liked it!
> 
> Thanks for reading, luvs, and hope you enjoyed the ride!


End file.
